The Unseen Boy
by whatidowithmyfreetime
Summary: Vlad did it. He took Maddie. Everything would be perfect if it wasn't for one thing: Danny. The child he never wanted. For Maddie's sake he keeps him, but by no means does he accept him. A little boy raised by isolation in a cold mansion. Invisible to all. That is until he meets the girl with lavender eyes. The one person that can truly see him.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey! So here's a pretty badly written story that could possibly come out good... doubtfully. I give it like a seven percent chance of turning out decent. And if that didn't make you want to read this then I don't know what will! Disclaimer: I own nothing (never written fanfiction before, but everyone else does this so in an effort not to plagiarize, I am too)**

 **Chapter 1: When His World Came Crashing Down**

For a three year old boy, life doesn't extend much farther than Mommy, Daddy, and maybe playing with their siblings. So when young Danny's Daddy fell to the ground, and stopped moving, Danny fell too. "Daddy? Daddy wake up. Daddy!" His entire world had come crashing down in a flash of red light. Mommy scooped him up and tried to run, but was stopped at the sound of Jazz's cry.

"No! Stop, please Vlad. Not her. She isn't a part of this." Desperation dripped from every syllable of her plea. But all that earned from him was a chuckle.

"Oh Maddie, don't you see? You made this about her the day she was conceived. She is Jack's little… Princess was it? Disgusting. She embodies everything I hate in that man. For us to be together she must come apart." He sneered. Each word he spoke sealed Maddie's hatred for him. By the end of his speech she was seething. "Goodbye Jack." Vlad's hand glowed a sinister red. He raised it to Jazz's face. It grew brighter and brighter and brighter until…

"FREEZE! Drop the girl, and put your hands where I can see them!" The officer's face left no room for question. His gun remained trained between Vlad's eyes. The sound of newly arriving sirens echoed outside of the house. Vlad glanced at him in distaste. "Fine." He flung Jazz towards the officer. "Until next time my dear." He laughed, then swooped forward grabbing Maddie and Danny, and took off into the night. With that he left behind a flustered policeman, and a young girl whose nightmares would bare his image for years to come.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello again! It is two am, and as the notorious nocturnal person I am, that means it's time to put another chapter up (like you can really call that last thing a chapter). I know it's been a long time since I updated. I mean seriously? Two hours?! What's wrong with me?! So if you're willing to forgive me, and if the last chapter for some reason gave you enough incentive to read on, I present you with chapter two. Disclaimer: I still don't own this, and by this I mean Danny Phantom. I'm sorry to say I do own this piece of fanfiction. Enjoy! Or don't cause seriously you are your own person, and I have no power over whether or not you enjoy this. Feel free to feel something about this? Sure that works.**

 **Chapter 2: Racing Rain Drops**

Rain beat against his window. Each drop slapped the glass before sliding down. Danny loved to pretend that the drops were racing. Two drops would hit the window at the same time. Gravity pulled them down slowly until they reached another bit of water. The droplets would splice together and continue down as one, twice as fast as before. Then they would reach the next drop, and soon there was a snowball effect going on. Momentum building with every gathered splash of water. A dot to dot race to the finish. Danny's breath would fog up the glass as he stared, mesmerized by the competition. At times he would even narrate. He would do his best to make his voice sound like the announcer guys at the horse races Vlad would always watch on television.

"Ole Clear Drop and Bigger Drop are neck in neck in what seems to be the closest race in Rain Storm history." His pretend seriousness would always end in a fit of giggles. Each screech of laughter echoing off the Attic's musty walls. It made the forlorn space seem almost lively. His games of pretend cleverly concealed the fact that he was the only one playing. After over two years of playing alone, Danny could almost convince himself that he was used to it.

"Who needs friends when you have your imagination," Danny would often ask himself. It had become his life motto. He would often say it in times of extreme loneliness. Talking to himself helped to fill the void that was left in the wake of his family. No dad or sister was bad enough, but Vlad forced Maddie to ignore him as well. Danny was to remain unseen. He could live on that one condition.

Danny had gained the power of turning anything into a game. Any object could be his friend. A piece of lint could be his confidant. A pillow could be his dance partner. A blanket draped over a rafter could be home. Hours were passed in the company of inanimate objects. Danny would laugh and play and even read a little (despite Vlad's contempt, Maddie was allowed to hire a tutor to educate Danny). When it was time for lunch, a bell would ring. Suddenly Danny was a secret agent. He would slink down the stairs and around corners in utter silence. Whenever anyone passed him, he would jump behind the nearest piece of furniture. His breath would hitch, his heart beating at a mile a minute. Then the threat would pass and he would continue on his way down to the kitchen.

On sunny afternoons he would be permitted to play outside. The mansion sat on a massive space at the edge of Amity Park. While the walls surrounding the grounds effectively cut Danny off from the rest of society, they allowed more than enough room to explore. The great outdoors were a limitless expanse for his wild imagination. He often played games like "Pioneer", where he would travel through the woodsy area of the yard and occasionally stop to "colonize" a tree. Or maybe "War", where he would pretend he was a soldier on the run from the enemy (this particular one often ended with him saying his final words to an attentive fern). Sometimes he would dabble in somewhat traditional games like "hide and seek" or "tag". But these would always have the necessary twist of both someone playing by themselves and someone who was never actually taught how to properly play. So for instance in "hide and seek", Danny would close his eyes and throw a rock as far as he could. The rest of the afternoon would be spent searching for it.

At nightfall he would retreat to his bed in the attic, often without dinner. He'd lay under the covers and stare out his window. Even though he was only three when his family fell apart, Danny could still recall how every night they would all gather on the roof and stargaze. So as the dark suffocated him and no more games were left to cover up his loneliness, he would look for the stars. They were his only comfort. Their soft glow twinkled through the black, and kept him company until he fell asleep.

Danny always dreamed of flying. His dreams began with Vlad chasing him. He would run and run, his heart racing, until he reaches the attic. He would race to the window only to realize he was trapped. He'd turn back to see Vlad smirking from the doorway. He'd back up as Vlad approached until he was pressed up against the cool glass. Fear and panic define his mind as Vlad raises his hand. It glows red. Danny's back digs into the window until suddenly he phases through it. By all means he should be falling, or even still be in the attic, but this is a dream so instead he flies. He leaves Vlad, the mansion, and loneliness far behind, as he soars across the grounds and over the wall. He keeps flying until he lands on his old roof. He is greeted by his family. The family Vlad stole. He wakes up hugging his pillow, still pretending it's his Daddy. Tears slip down his cheeks, and remind him of racing rain drops.

 **I didn't last time, but I will now. This here is that end note thing that writers always leave, and I always skip. But, hey, when in Rome. So yeah. I don't actually have anything of substance to say here. It was just something I felt the need of experiencing. Oh! And by the way, I apologize for every time** **I do something weird with the tenses (past/present/future). My English** **teachers hate it, I hate it, but it's something I have never been able to fix. Try to ignore it or mentally edit it or whatever helps you sleep at night. Or just pretends it's like an artistic choice. Like a signature or something. Yeah a signature sounds way better than just not knowing how to write. Lets go with that.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Evidently another chapter has been completed, and it's still the same day. Something tells me that I have too much free time on my hands... oh well. But hey, today wasn't all that empty! It's Father's Day remember? You know what that means! LAST. MINUTE. PRESENTS. And mine came out pretty good if I do say so myself. That aside let's get to my much awaited chapterly disclaimer: While Danny Phantom is a beautiful show that I will always wish hadn't ended, it remains not mine. This kind of terrible sentence structure is something you have to look forward to in the story below! Sorry in advanced, but remember, you're the one who's still reading this.**

 **Chapter 3: Introductory to Play**

Narrowed lavender eyes glisten with anger. Two small black eyebrows are pushed down by a wrinkled forehead. A mouth shapes into a frown, just barely holding back the biting words it wishes to say. Bright red cheeks puff out in frustration. The look as a whole resembles a steaming teapot, just about to boil over. At the delicate age of five, Sam Manson has perfected the Scowl.

"Calm down Samantha, it's just a dress! Do we always have to go through these theatrics?" Exasperated cannot even define the state Sam's mom, Pamela, has reached after just a few hours of shopping… Or more like attempted shopping. _All she needs is ONE pink dress for Paulina's birthday bash tonight. Just one! Samantha would only have to wear it once._ _This shouldn't be that hard._ And just like that, the kettle exploded.

"MY NAME IS SAM! I'VE TOLD YOU HUNDREDS OF TIMES THAT I HATE PINK! I'M SUPPOSED TO BE YOUR DAUGHTER, BUT YOU DON'T KNOW ME AT ALL!" The latest in the series of rosy dresses slam into Pamela's face.

"I am your mother! You cannot treat me with such disrespect!" Pamela's face has, by this time, become the very color of the dress she had been hit with. Her outraged voice is at an octave only dogs can hear. People both in and around this unfortunate boutique stop and stare at the shouting match. While Sam could care less about them, her mother is quite the opposite. _My reputation is on the line, and over what? An outfit!? This is ludicrous!_ "You are my child! You live in my house, under my roof, and THAT MEANS YOU MUST DO WHAT I SAY!" Pamela blinks. _This will not do, I have an audience._ In a much calmer, more collected tone she says, "Now be a dear, and put on that dress." Her words are final, but Sam will have none of that.

"WELL THEN I'M RUNNING AWAY," Sam screams. She sprints out of the store as fast as she can, pushing passed the gathered crowd. Her mom's shrieks follow her down the street. She can't help but let out a whoop of joy at her new found freedom.

"No more bossy mom. No more pushover dad. No more pink. No more stuck up parties. No more stupid dresses!" She laughs for what feels like the first time ever. _I finally did it! I escaped that stupid house. I no longer have to act as my mom's personal dress up doll. I don't have to pretend to be the perfect daughter._ Her running becomes skipping at the sheer joy of it all. Her life is at last hers to control. She can be her own person.

That's when the thought hits her: "Where am I?" Her footsteps come to a stop. Her mind jumps back to that time three months ago when she and her parents had gone to the aquarium. She had been so excited. Her parents could barely keep up with her as she ran from exhibit to exhibit. At one point, her face was pressed up against the shark tank when a weird feeling came over her. _Why isn't my mom nagging me to slow down? How come I can't hear my dad glued to his phone?_ Panic set in. Her eyes widened and filled with tears. Goose bumps coated her body as she began to shake in fear. She was alone. She was lost. She was afraid. The only difference between then and now is back then she hadn't yet disowned her parents. They found her seconds after the fit began. _Now no one will be looking for me._

Sam plops down and tries to get her bearings. She wipes away her tears, and begins to look around. As far as she can tell, she has ended up in an ally. Everything is completely silent. It seems she had subconsciously run in the opposite direction of the sound of people. Her mom once told her that allies are bad. They attract criminals or something. Feeling paranoid, she pulls herself up, and exits the ally.

Her feet seem to drag endlessly across the pavement. She sticks out her hand to a big stone wall that seems to go on forever. It slides roughly from rock to rock. She keeps going on like this for awhile until she hears something _. Not something… someone!_ It's soft and weirdly muffled, but a voice all the same.

"…sorry I couldn't serve you better, General Fern. I'm just glad I got the chance to work with you while I could. AUGH THE PAIN! Good… goodbye… g… general… Bleh!" Several coughs and gags (attempts at sounding like he's dying) follow this childish speech. Then there is silence. Sam stops moving entirely and stares at the wall. _What just happened?_ She gazes at the barrier for a minute. Nothing. Then another. Still no sound. _Had whoever been talking left without me hearing? Could they actually be dead?_ Fear clenches her heart. _Oh my gosh! I just heard someone die! Maybe I can save him. I'll just climb over the wall and give them mouth to mouth or something like in the movies!_

In Sam's defense, she has never had friends. The only kids her age she has ever met were of the same demographic as her parents. And rich snobs are so not her forte. Isolation remained her only option. It's not like her mother and father would approve of her hanging out with members of the 'lesser classes' (anyone with less than a million dollars at their disposal is considered lesser by her parents). She had tried once at the park with a funny kid named Tucker. He had thrown a ball at her and she caught it. Most people wouldn't understand the thrill she got in that moment. It was the first time she had ever played before. She was so new to the subject that she just stood there holding that shiny blue ball. Tucker looked at her like she was from another planet. "Haven't you ever played pass before?" Sam could only shake her head, but for some reason this just made Tucker smile. "Okay let's play school! I'll be the teacher and you can be my student. I'll show you how to play!" Ten minutes later, Sam's mother found her covered in mud, and nearly had a heart attack. From that fateful day onward, Sam was forbidden to play. So as the childhood deprived kid she is, it is no surprise that when overhearing the sounds of play, she mistakes it for reality.

Her pudgy little hands grasp the bumpy surface, pulling her up until her feet find purchase between two stones. She then reaches up higher and repeats. In the entire course of her ten foot climb, she nearly slips twice, but once her hands find the ridge it's like none of that has ever happened. A smile graces her face as she pulls herself up on top of the wall. The view is incredible. She can practically see half of Amity from here!

"Ahoy my fellow adventurer!" Sam jumps in fright, nearly falling off the wall, at the sound of the young boy's voice. She gets as close to the edge as she dares and locks eyes with the offending child. He's a dirty looking kid with messy raven hair and a pair of dazzling sky blue eyes. But what really gets her is the look of awe on his face as he looks at her. Strangely enough a single tear streaks down his filthy cheek.

"I spent my entire life playing in the shadow of her majesty. I have often dreamed of the view. The feelings of joy and exhilaration," those tutoring sessions sure were paying off, "that only Everest could give. Please. Grant me just one request. Tell me what it's like to stand on the tallest mountain on Earth. How does it feel to stand 29,029 feet above sea level?" By this time, the boy is looking at her like a peasant would look to their Queen. Sam can't help but grin at the silliness of his whole charade. Through a fit of giggles she replies, "Close your eyes and picture yourself as an ant." The child nods eagerly and quickly complies. "Do you have that image in your mind?" Once again he nods. "Now picture your ant self on top of a mountain. That's how I feel right now." His eyes open, and crinkle with laughter. Their blue depths reflect mock understanding. He opens his mouth to retort, but is interrupted by an ear piercing yell.

"SAMANTHA YOU GET DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT!" Startled, Sam trips on a loose section of wall, and plummets over the side. The wind tries to grab at her hair and clothes to slow her descent, but to no avail. She hits the concrete arm-first with a sickening crack. Racked with guilt, Pamela scoops her up and begins calling out to her driver that she'd found Sam. Through the pain Sam cracks a grin. Calls of "Fellow adventurer!" follow her home.

 **In the event of confusion, italics has become thoughts. Hope that wasn't too painful to read!**

 **Sincerely,**

 **Josefina** **... or Finn... or Charlemagne...**

 **Actually that last one sounded pretty cool. I'm gonna stick with that.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I wrote this chapter tonight for one purpose and one purpose only: To rant about Amazon. Last summer I watched way more cartoons than I probably should have. But with amazon prime it was super easy. They were all just there. So today I sat on my couch and pulled out the remote all geared up for some Danny Phantom, and low and behold IT NO LONGER IS ON PRIME! Turns out none of the nickelodeon cartoons I had near-religiously watched last year are on prime anymore. My friend says that Nick probably just didn't renew their contract with prime. To that all I could think was "I see no point in living if I can't watch Danny Phantom" (and yes I totally did watch** ** _Howl's Moving Castle_** **instead to anyone who got the reference).**

 **Disclaimer: If I owned Danny Phantom, it would still be on prime.**

 **Chapter 4: Reality Check**

Imaginary friends often accompany Danny during his games. General Fern, for instance, is someone he often relies on in battle. A tall, green, and handsome man who had already fought in numerous wars, he is the only one trusted to cover Danny's back during combat. It never matters to Danny that the General has been more than one fern, or even that he is a fern to begin with. All Danny cares about is that this man has been and always will be there for him. It wouldn't be wrong to blame Danny's alienation on this. Limited human interaction is never a good thing. His sanity isn't exactly all there right now. The reality is that if Danny's mental state was a bridge, it would be "Galloping Gertie" (A/N Is that a piece of bridge trivia that I, for some reason, just pulled from sixth grade tech ed.? Why yes it is.).

So upon seeing a strange girl with pretty ebony hair and fascinating lavender eyes, Danny's first thoughts weren't saying hello or introducing himself. Instead, he decided that his wild mind had simply created a new game with a new character for him to play with. He accepted this with the ease of someone who had experienced it many times before, and jumped straight into his role. He liked his part. He played an envious climber speaking to his hero, aka Lavender Eyes. His tutor's recent topic on Everest may have had more than a little influence on the idea, but if anything it made it more realistic. After performing his lines perfectly, he looked expectantly at the girl (believing that his brain would insert her designated dialogue). But strangely enough, her responses weren't anything like he had been thinking.

He most certainly hadn't predicted that she would fall off Everest. The snapping sound he heard after she left his view caused any wish he'd ever had to climb the 'mountain' dissipate in seconds. A previously unknown feeling struck him in that moment. Concern.

"Fellow adventurer!" He called out several times, but she never answered. Tears began to absently drizzle down his cheeks. _Why would the game just end like that?_ For his part, every storyline his games had ever taken on, ended with a feeling of closure. All he felt at that moment was a strong desire for a proper conclusion. _What happened to Lavender Eyes? Why did that strange voice call her Samantha? Is she hurt?_ No answers came. He stayed loyally at the wall until well passed sunset, and yet still nothing happened. The game was just… Over.

After his encounter with "Samantha", his life gradually went back to normal. At first he would spend entire days just looking up at the wall. He'd sit there in the hopes that the game would happen again. He clung to the thought that the girl would reappear and resolve his feelings of incompletion. But as time passed by without her return, he had to face the fact that all waiting in vain did was bring about his loneliness. He needed to summon up his other imaginary friends or else he might die of boredom.

Reluctantly, he stopped his daily pilgrimages to Everest. He buried his feelings of solitude by surrounding himself with his friends. His newest game was called "The Party". It was inspired by a dinner party Vlad and Maddie had thrown the week before. While Danny himself had not been allowed to attend, he had enjoyed the sounds and smells that wafted up the air vent and into his attic. Throughout the event, he had closed his eyes and imagined being in the center of it all. He would have eaten cake. Cake is another thing he can still remember about his old life. For every opportunity of celebration, whether it was a birthday or a snow day, Mommy would bake a cake. Daddy loved chocolate, so that was always what the dessert was centered on. No two cakes were alike. Mommy's love of inventing wouldn't allow it. They ranged from pancake-type-cakes to precarious ten-layer ones. Each one was a different experience. Each would be remembered fondly for years to come. Danny is positive that the dinner party's cake was the same.

For this reason, he made sure that each one of his "parties" included a cake from his past. The confection would be drooled on by his friends. He would pretend to eat a slice while recalling the memory of its taste. Other aspects of his parties would differ from the Masters'. For example, his party would not focus on dinner. As a meal he rarely had the privilege of enjoying, Danny couldn't help but find it overrated. His parties reflected his third birthday's. Balloons would hover in every available space. Streamers would cover the ceiling. No one would be sitting around a silly old table. They'd be too busy playing.

At one particular party three months after the whole Everest debacle, Danny finds himself dancing with Miss Sunflower. As they spin, several blond wisps of her hair fly off. They glide to the earth around the two dancers like golden confetti. The pair laughs in delight at the spectacle _. I haven't smiled this wide since my game with Samantha._ And there she goes again. Interrupting his thoughts. The illusion falls.

The excited chatter of his friends dissolve. The balloons he had been bumping into throughout the dance disappear. The streamers overhead are replaced by the low hanging branches of nearby trees. The song that's been playing ceases abruptly. His dancing comes to a halt. He looks at his hands expecting to see the fingers of his partner still intertwined with his. Instead, he comes face to face with the big brown eye of a sunflower. All of its petals lie in the dirt beneath his feet.

In his over two years of seclusion, Danny has never had to face a reality check like this before. It frightens him. He falls to the ground in despair. _Why can't I just forget about her? What's wrong with me?! All she was, was a figment of my imagination. Nothing but air and thought!_ Something about Samantha had screamed important to Danny's subconscious, but he had no idea what. _I haven't even gone to Everest in two months, how can I possibly still be thinking of her?_ After a few more minutes of moping, Danny decides he will return to Everest and put an end to this agony once and for all. Maybe the ending of that game could be made up without her.

 **To any perfectionist who realized that Danny's thoughts seem way too sophisticated for a five year old: If it bothers you that much than dumb it down, or just pretend that whatever tutoring Danny's gotten made him into a genius. That's what I do anyway (probably because I'm too lazy to go back and fix it myself). Oh and shout out to everyone who favorited/followed this: I don't know why you did it, but thanks!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Fun fact: It is impossible to write well at one am. For that reason, I gave up on writing last night, and had to write the rest of this chapter today. I am so tired right now... and hungry. I can't even think of anything funny or self-deprecating to say up here. Turns out you need sleep and food to function properly. Go figure. Disclaimer: Don't own Danny Phantom, so yeah.**

 **Chapter 5: Passing Notes**

The distance between The Party and Everest is just a short five minute walk, but to Danny, it seems to drag on for hours. Usually, he would enjoy a stroll like this. He probably would have made a game out of it. Maybe he would have pretended to be a messenger. He could make believe that he was Pheidippides running from Marathon to Athens to announce victory over the Persians. It would all have been great fun. Too bad Samantha had to go and ruin everything. Reality sucks.

As he trudges on, he tries to fight his overwhelming boredom. It doesn't work. Overhead, the sky is blue. It contains a total of seven clouds. While each cloud's shape is vastly different from the next, none resemble anything other than the generic cloud. Not a single dragon, heart, or teddy bear graces the atmosphere. Furthermore, the forest is devoid of any mythical creatures. There are no unicorns or antelopes to be seen. At one point, Danny hears a rustling coming from the brush. To his utter disappointment, a bunny hops out. As he turns away from the creature to continue walking, he trips. His fall leaves him on the ground with the culprit, a rock. Just a normal, everyday rock too. It's brown with bits of dirt clinging to it. Nothing about it makes him want to stop his hike to Everest to make this area his quarry. How anyone can stand always seeing things exactly as they are, Danny can't even begin to understand.

Danny sighs in relief as the top of Everest comes into view. He approaches the wall with caution, and then closes his eyes. He takes a deep breath and then yells out, "Ahoy my fellow adventurer!" No response, but that's good because she hadn't said anything back to him at this point the first time either. He can't just continue this with his eyes closed, though. To truly reenact that moment, he needs to look up and see her. He stays in the dark for a moment longer to procrastinate against facing reality again. Life without fantasy is no way to live in Danny's opinion. The only problem with this is that a person can only stand still with their eyes closed for so long. Eventually he would have to open them.

Before he even gets the chance to do so, something strikes him in the face. It doesn't hurt as much as it surprises him. He blinks his blue pools against the sunlight before looking around to find what had hit him. It doesn't take long. The guilty party rests by his feet in the form of a crumpled up piece of paper. He squats down and retrieves it from the dirt. A closer inspection of the paper reveals that it has something scribbled across it. Unfolding it takes him a minute, but he soon has it smooth enough to read. It's short and the handwriting is nearing illegible, but it is a note none the less.

Hi again!

The doctor says my arm is all done healing.

I can use it just like before again! Isn't that

great?

-Sam

 _Sam? Who the heck is that?_ _Who is this note for anyway, and what do they mean by "Hi again"? Have there been more notes before this?_ As these questions race through Danny's mind, he begins to pace. He walks along the side of the wall for twenty or so feet, and then turns back. During one of these treks, he hears something crunch under his foot. He almost doesn't investigate believing it to just be a dry, old leaf. For some reason, he does anyway. _Another note?_

Fellow Adventurer,

I don't know if you've been getting

my messages, but if you are, will

you please respond? I miss you.

-Sam

 _Fellow adventurer? Could Samantha and Sam be one and the same?_ _And if so, how long has she been sending these letters?_ Unlike the crisp, white page that had been flung at him before, this one seems much older. It feels softer, a lot like parchment. Its color is faded to a slight yellowish hue. The ink itself is runny from water damage. Based on all of these factors, Danny can guess that it was exposed to the environment for at least a few weeks. _But if that's true, than there should be way more of these._ His eyes widen at this revelation, and he removes his gaze from the page to look more closely at his surroundings.

The grass along the wall is tall, which can be both a good and a bad thing. It is great for playing "Explorer" and "One-Player-Hide-and-Seek" (he can never find himself when he hides here!), but it also makes it difficult to find something if dropped. For instance, several crumpled up pieces of paper. It takes him a minute to spot one, but when he bends down to grab it, another flash of white catches his eye. And then another. And another. Pretty soon he finds himself in an Easter-egg-type hunt for the scattered notes.

Hours later, he collapses on his bed in the attic. His tired arms drop the various scraps of paper that they had been clutching so tightly. 32 in total. Each is in a different stage of decomposition. Some of the older ones are in such a bad state, that he can no longer read the messages they once carried. He spends the rest of the night deciphering each of the notes, and soon he finds his questions answered.

Hello!

My name's Sam. I just realized that

I never told you that. Oh well.

-Sam (so you know who I am)

While he had gotten that much from the two notes he had read earlier, he still isn't sure who this Sam person is. The more recent notes are much easier to read than the older ones, but they contain less valuable information.

Hey!

Guess who I saw today? Tucker!

He got moved to my kindergarten

class, so now we can play without

my mom ruining everything!

-Sam

Sure he feels happy for Sam, but nothing here confirmed that he/she is the same person that played "Everest" with him. Frustrated, he swipes all the notes off his bed and lays back into his pillows. He closes his eyes and tries to think. _None of these are helping me! What I need is a note that explains why all of these are being sent. I don't understand who these are for. Why would someone throw the notes over the wall? How could their recipient be expected to find them there? Clearly whoever was supposed to get these, hasn't. But also, based on the note I read earlier, the writer has no clue whether anyone is reading these or not. I wonder why they started all of this. When they threw their first note, why would they just start randomly talking about their lives… unless they didn't…_

Danny sits up quickly and scrambles to the floor. His hands sort through every paper, his eyes flashing in annoyance. _Where is it? Where is it? Where is it? AH HA!_ He now holds in his hands, the oldest note of them all. Its sides are ripped. It has holes all over it that imply a bug had been dining there. It is covered in dirt, and its ink drips inches below the original words. It is WAY too far gone to read. Luckily for Danny, he had spent the last couple years in a desperate search for entertainment. Not too long ago, he had found it while drawing. He had flipped over the page he'd been drawing on, and was about to continue his doodling there when he noticed something. Dents swirled and spiraled across the paper in the same design as he had just drawn on the previous side. Hours of investigating this phenomena left Danny with a skill most learn after reading too much _Sherlock Holmes_.

He flattens the paper as much as he can, and then flips it over to its much cleaner back. He then grabs a pencil and begins gently shading the page. Once finished, he sits back to admire his handy work. Scrawled across the now-gray surface is a backwards version of the original note. Danny translates it to how it would be normally, and finally reads his long-awaited answers.

To the boy with the blue eyes,

In case you're wondering, my arm is much

better now that the cast is off. I really

loved playing with you. I've never had so

much fun before.

-Your Fellow Adventurer

There is no denying it anymore. This "Sam" is definitely his Samantha. His grin stretches from ear to ear. _I have to write to her!_ Danny grabs his pencil and notepad, and scribbles out a note.

Sam!

Everest hasn't been the same without

you. Please write again soon!

-Your biggest fan

Danny yawns at its completion. He can hear birds chirping in the distance. Bright rays of sunlight stretch across the attic from the window. _I've been up all night?_ Deciding that he needs rest more urgently then delivering his letter, he slides under the covers and falls into a deep sleep. His last thought before his dreams consume him is: _I'm so glad the game is back._

 **Okay I was pretty out of it when I wrote this, so I'll clarify if you didn't get it. Sam has been leaving notes. Danny finds the notes. He finally gets the answers to the questions he wondered in the previous chapter. As the slightly insane person he is, he just assumes that this is a continuation of the Everest game. He still thinks Sam is one of his imaginary friends. I guess he thinks the paper is imaginary too. He's weird like that.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay so its been awhile. My bad. I'm a bit of a procrastinator. I should change my name to** ** _whatiavoidinmyfreetime._** **Ha! I kill me. Anyways, I promise I will finish this story. Eventually. My pet peeve is unfinished stories. It's like sentencing readers to be at the edge of their seats forever. There is no worse fate. So unfortunately for anyone who hates this story and would like to burn it in a fire, there is more to come. Disclaimer: I own nothing except for a little too many summer assignments. I did say I am a procrastinator. Eh I'll do them like the week before school starts.**

 **Chapter 6: The Fear of Falling**

After a little over a month without any word from the Blue Eyed Boy, Sam is beginning to lose hope. Still, every day she goes back, and throws a note over the fence. Every single day. And why? Well, even she doesn't quite understand that.

It had all started at the hospital. As the doctor went on and on explaining what Sam can and can't do while she has the cast, Sam only had one thought. _How am I supposed to climb the wall with this on my arm?_ She didn't care that her arm had broken in the first case. All she could think about was how happy that boy had made her. At that moment Sam made a decision. The minute the cast comes off, she would go over the wall to visit her new friend.

Plans often are better off in theory. This became painfully obvious six weeks later. With her cast off, she had decided to make good on her earlier decision, and climb the wall. Beyond excited, she had practically sprinted from her house to the wall. Upon her arrival, her confidence went out the window. In front of her stood the same mass of stone that had resulted in her painful fall not too long ago. Two parts of her brain began fighting. It was a one on one battle between the fear of falling and the desire to see that boy again. Ultimately fear won out. She did try, though. She had her hands gripping the rocky wall just like before, and then… she began to suffocate. Just the thought of going that high up made her feel as if a boulder rested on her chest. There was no way she could do it.

After that failure she had gone home in utter disappointment. She tried going back a few times afterwards. Each time she would walk there, laughing about how silly she had been on the previous attempt. Each time she would go up to the wall radiating confidence. Each time she would go home gasping for air. She felt so helpless. _This stupid fear is making me lose one of the only friends I ever had!_

One day she approaches the wall in a different perspective. She already knows that she is going to go home toting yet another failed attempt. This time though, she would procrastinate against it. She carries with her a little purple backpack. She sits in the shade of the wall, resting against its rocky surface, and pulls out today's homework _. It's kind of funny how I'd rather do my school assignment then try to see my friend again. Failure must really be getting to me._

Hours pass, and pretty soon she runs out of homework. She knows it is time to try climbing again, but she would do anything to prolong it. She yanks her notebook out of her bag and flips to a clean page. She has been doodling for just a few minutes when an idea strikes her. _Why not write a note?_ If she herself can't get over the wall, maybe her words can. Excitement floods her system as she scribbles down a few sentences. Without another moment's hesitation, she chucks it over the wall. She practically skips home. She hasn't felt this accomplished in weeks. She is so eager to see if he responds that she can hardly sleep that night.

The next day she goes to the wall with two things: hope and another note. Even when she doesn't find a note waiting for her there, she stays confident. _Maybe he just hasn't seen it yet._ She would just have to keep throwing over messages until he stumbles across one. Endless days pass, and she begins to waiver despite her determination to see him again.

Today starts just like every other. Sam's mom throws open her curtains, thus blinding her tired daughter in the all too bright sunshine. Sam goes through her morning routine like a robot. She brushes her hair and teeth. She grabs an apple from the kitchen. She catches the bus. School is as dull as ever. During recess she and Tuck pick up their game of pass where her mom had once cut it all too short. After school, Sam skips the bus just like she has done every day, in favor of a quick trip to the wall. She is thinking about giving up on that strange boy. She throws her latest note without much feeling, and is about to leave when something captures her attention.

 _Litter. Wow. Really people? Does no one care about our environment?_ She scoops up the despicable piece of trash and begins her walk home. As she walks she inspects the garbage. It's just a crumpled up piece of lined paper. _Probably some kid's homework._ She unfolds the page in curiosity, and reads its messy lines.

Sam!

Everest hasn't been the same without

you. Please write again soon!

-Your biggest fan

 _Could this be… No way. Why would he write back after all this time? But what else could this be?_ Sam stands stock still. She is completely dumb founded. Her heart feels as if it has stopped, and she realizes she has forgotten to breath. She takes a deep breath, and tries to collect her thoughts. _Okay. Okay. Calm down, Sam. This is what you've been waiting for! He responded! He wants to see you again! Heck, he even misses you! This is great news. Why are you freaking out so much?_

Sam shakes her head to clear her muddled mind. All the rest of her journey home, she concocts her response. It needs to be friendly, but not too clingy. It needs to make her sound eager for them to play again, but not desperate. It needs to carry everything she wants to tell him in just a few sentences.

Everest Boy,

Hi! It's so nice to hear from you.

Maybe we could play again soon?

-Sam

 _Okay so maybe that didn't turn out as sophisticated as I wanted. Oh well. It'll have to do._ The next day she flings it over the wall, and collects yet another note from the Blue Eyed Boy. This one makes her smile.

Sam,

The sunset last night made Everest

look like it was glowing.

We should watch it together

some time.

-Your biggest fan

This note makes her feel strange. Her heart gets all fluttery, and she can't stop grinning. But for some reason, she kind of likes it.

 **So the next chapter will jump through time a bit. Just five years or so. I know what you're thinking, and yes I am going somewhere with this story. It's a work in progress. GOODBYE FOREVER! Except not really because I have to finish this garbage... I mean because I am SUPER excited to complete this piece of art! As if.**


	7. Chapter 7

**This is a pretty short chapter. So I'm kinda considering telling a really long joke up here so it looks like I wrote more. Yeah, I'll do it. Ready? This is called the Cheerio Joke.**

 **So there are four levels of cheerios: The first is plain. They are like the lowest of the low. They don't have homes or jobs or cars. They are like the cheerios you'd find on the floor (in real life terms). The second is frosted. They are kind of like lower middle class. Their houses are small. Their cars are basic. But their kids can afford school, and that's really everything for a good cheerio parent. They'd be the cheerios you find on your seat. The third is strawberry frosted. They are upper middle class. They have mansions, limos, servant, and their kids get to go to some of the most elite schools in the nation. They are the cheerios you'd find on the table. The last, but most definitely not least, is honey nut. They are the best of the best. Everyone wants to be them. They have their own island. All they do is party. They've really made it in the cheerio world. They'd be the cheerios you'd find in the bowl.**

 **Anyways, so there is this plain cheerio. He has a wife and three kids. But they're not very happy. They don't have a home or a car. The kids can't go to school. And this cheerio, he wants the best for his family. So he decides to work really really hard, and one day he gets promoted! Now he's a frosted cheerio! He has a house, a car, his kids are learning. Life is great. Everyone is happy, but even so, he still wants more. So he works. And works. And works. And FINALLY he gets promoted to a STRAWBERRY FROSTED CHEERIO! They live in a mansion, have an entire fleet of limos. The kids are at this really fantastic private school. His wife has a closet the size of the mall. They own yachts, helicopters, and even a personal rocket ship! But he still wants more. So he works and works and works. And one day his wife confronts him in his office. Tears roll down her face as she cries.**

 **"The kids and I never see you anymore! All you do is work and work. If you don't spend some time with us I am going to divorce you and take custody of the kids!"**

 **SO HE KEEPS WORKING. And she divorces him and takes custody of the kids. But one day he gets promoted to a HONEY NUT CHEERIO. YOU HEARD ME! A HONEY NUT CHEERIO! And so he's at honey nut island at a honey nut party, and he's dancing. When he gets thirsty. So he goes to the orange juice line, but it's WAY too long. So then he goes to the coffee line, but that's also too long. So then he goes to the punchline, but there is no punchline!**

 **Disclaimer: I in no way, shape, or form own Danny Phantom, or the Cheerio Joke for that matter. My cousin told me it. But there's like a billion versions of it out there. Personally, it's like my favorite thing ever.**

 **Chapter 7: Five Year Friendship**

With the arrival of new notes from Sam, came a return of the thrill of the game. Reality melts away and is replaced by fantasy. When Danny reads Sam's words, he can forget his horrible circumstance. His mind takes no notice of Vlad's resentment or how his mother acts as if he doesn't exist. To him those things aren't real anymore. The only real, tangible thing that matters is Everest. Just the mountain, its characters, and its plot. Each of which Danny is fully versed in.

Just a few days into the games revival, Danny finds himself basking in the sun not far from the mountain. He enjoys the warmth the bright light leaves on his skin, and relishes in the comfort his grassy bed provides. He had already flung out today's message. It was a short blurb about how he believes that Sam should return to Everest's face. He had always dreamed of reaching her summit, and it saddens him to think that no one else is sharing that goal. _What is a mountain without its climber?_ The very idea that his idol, Sam, has given up on climbing makes him sick.

Danny closes his eyes, and listens to the sounds of the world around him. The wind rustles the grass. Bugs buzz from flower to flower. A bird squawks loudly in the distance. Even farther away, a van screeches down a gravel road. He identifies each of these familiar noises with ease. But there is one sound that is unlike the others. It is unheard of in the usual din of day to day life. An odd whizzing that seems to crackle ever so slightly as it hits the thick mossy ground. His eyes snap open. _Sam's here._

He jumps up and rushes towards where he had heard the object fall. _Ah I was right, it is a note._ There, resting on the bed of moss, lays a roughly folded paper airplane. Danny grins. _Well that's new._ He hurries to unfold the note, and reads its precious lines.

Boy,

I'm sorry, but I can't climb the

mountain anymore. I guess I've

become afraid of heights. Could

you climb across?

-Sam

Danny scoffs. It's laughable to think that a climber could become afraid of heights, especially one as gifted as Sam. _She must be kidding. How can Everest continue without its most important character? Unless of course this is all part of the game's intended plot… that must be it. I certainly can't climb over, so maybe this game is a tragedy? Two climbers that can't climb become friends despite the odds (as in the gigantic mountain that stands between us)._ This game is both enticing to Danny and well thought out, so naturally he decides to run with it.

Sam,

I lack your great talent for climbing.

I hope we can still be friends even

though we can't see each other.

-Your biggest fan

…...

SAM'S POV

The boy's letter makes her angry. _If it wasn't for this stupid fear I could play with him! How can I be friends with someone that I can't even see?_ She is ten seconds away from storming off and abandoning that strange boy behind that frustrating wall forever. But the last line of his note stops her. _He still wants to be friends. What right do I have to give up on us if he still has hope?!_

Boy,

It could be weird keeping a friend

by passing notes. It's a good thing

I like weird.

-Sam

…...

THIRD PERSON POV

As strange as it sounds, they did manage it. Over the course of the next five years, countless notes were passed over Everest. Each carried the other's thoughts and feelings over the wall under the guise of the game. Danny could express the absolute loneliness Vlad makes him feel through the creation of similar characters. Like maybe there is a man in his village that always ignores him. Sam simply filed away the whole Everest storyline as just some odd quirk of the boy. Although occasionally it did get a bit frustrating, like how he refused to say his name. There were times where Sam nearly forgot her fear of heights in favor of climbing over the wall and slapping him.

Still, despite that, Danny became Sam's most trusted confidant. She would tell him all her secrets. He also became a very attentive place to vent all her sorrows and frustrations. She could throw dozens of notes at him of her just ranting about her mother. He would always read them and send back a helpful, though vaguely Everest related, reply. Sadly, Sam wouldn't realize how much she relied on him until it was too late. As they say, "you never know a good thing 'til it's gone".

In those five years of friendship, it never once occurred to her that something could happen. That one day she would read one of his notes, and the next realize that it was his last.

 **A bit too cliffy for my taste, but whatever. Nothing is worse than the Cheerio Joke am I right? HAHAHA! Actually that's not true. The Strawberry Joke is WAY worse. But frankly, even I don't have the patience to type that one all out.**


	8. Chapter 8

**I finally wrote a chapter about Maddie! Wow that sounded way too uncharacteristically enthusiastic. Whatever. Yeah so I felt really bad that I made Maddie seem like this callus background character. This chapter fixes all that. Fun fact: I was not planning on this story going in this direction. I wrote this chapter and realized that it utterly destroyed my plot. It took me like an hour to come up with a way to make it all work out. Cause it was either change my plot line or accept that I just wasted a bunch of time on a useless chapter. And I'm way too lazy for that second option. Disclaimer: I don't own DP or this story. I found this fanfiction in a chest buried in my backyard. I think a pirate might have written it. Yarrrr.**

 **Chapter 8: Inheritance**

 **MADDIE'S POV**

Vlad Masters and his trophy wife, Maddie, are parading around the Sanchez's annual ball as if they own it. Everything about them makes the other guests envious. They absolutely reak of money. Vlad's Italian suit, Maddie's pure silk dress, and the heavy diamonds that laden her platinum necklace and bracelets broadcast their wealth across the room. They somehow cause even the richest people at this party to feel dirt poor. Ever the social butterflies, they make their way across the room mingling with nearly every person present. _Networking as Vlad calls it._ As they approach another group of upper class elites, both wear a very pleasant smile. They look like such a picturesque couple that no one notices Maddie's smile does not reach her eyes.

Maddie hates this. She hates how she has to keep a smile on her face. Hates that she has to lock arms with the man that killed her husband, and pretend she loves him. Hates being used as an object to express Vlad's billionaire status. Hates that she has to ignore her child. Hates that her other kid is god knows where. Hates Vlad. He took everything from her. Her husband, her kids, her freedom. Everything that matters to her he has replaced with this false marriage. Every day he makes her act as if she is in a play. She'll kiss him good morning. She'll tell him she loves him. She'll act as if she has never been happier. Because if she doesn't seem like the perfect wife, Vlad will kill Danny.

 _Danny._ Just the thought of him makes her want to break down into tears. For seven years she has ignored him on Vlad's orders. She has had to watch him grow up from a distance, like a person watching their favorite television show. She has always wanted to be a part of it, but she can't. It was at its worst when they were first taken by Vlad. Little three year old Danny would waddle up to her, calling her Mommy and trying to hug her. She would glance at Vlad in desperation, but he would just glare back. His expression leaving no room for argument. She would bite back tears and gently push the child away. Danny would look at her with the saddest, most confused face, and then start to cry. Vlad would grab her arm and pull her way from the sobbing child. After a while, Danny stopped trying. For all she knows, he may have forgotten that she was his mother to begin with.

She doesn't know how Danny manages it. A life without a family. He has no one to love him. To care for him. But for some reason he doesn't even seem that bothered by it. He just runs around and plays to his heart's content. Strangely enough, she even noticed that five years ago he started smiling, and she hasn't seen him frown since. She can't fathom why.

Vlad clears his throat loudly, effectively bringing Maddie back to the present. She looks up at him in confusion, and then remembers where they are. She quickly reapplies her perfected happiest-person-alive smile, and apologizes to their acquaintances.

"I'm sorry! It seems I'm not all here tonight." _Cue apologetic giggle. Perfect._ "What were we talking about again, dear?" She looks up at Vlad with endearment. The other guests look at the adorable couple in awe and jealousy. _If only they knew the truth. They would never look at me like that again._

"Well darling, I believe Mrs. Sanchez over here was complimenting you on your lovely dress."

"Oh! Thank you, but I honestly would much rather have yours. It looks gorgeous on you." Maddie lathered her voice with envy and admiration, but in reality she would have preferred a jumpsuit. _Now that would be something I could appreciate._ Mrs. Sanchez puffs up like a pompous peacock at her words.

"If you think this is great, you should see what my daughter is wearing. We took our private jet to this charming little boutique in Paris, and she just about fell in love with it. Oh where is that girl? Paulina! Honey, would you please come over here and show Mrs. Masters your dress?" _Mrs. Masters. I might throw up._ Looking over at Vlad, she can detect a smirk in his eyes. _I swear one day I will kill that sick bastard._

"Good evening. My name's Paulina, I am enchanted to make your acquaintance." Maddie looks at this girl with distaste. Her snooty voice and ridiculously expensive looking gown, screams spoiled. _Even if my real family was still together and for some reason rich, I would never allow my Jasmine to become this. This girl seems void of personality. She will grow up to be as shallow as they come, just like her parents._ Of course none of these feelings are being expressed outside of her mind. In fact, she is currently smiling at and lauding the girl.

"It's too bad you don't have a kid of your own, Masters." These words flow almost mockingly from Mr. Sanchez's mouth. It's at this moment that everyone in the room realizes something. While none of them could ever dream of surpassing the Masters economically or socially, many have already crushed them in the family department. "My little princess is going to take over my company once I retire. Do you have any plans as to whom will inherit DALV?" Maddie has to suppress a grin at this. Vlad's face has at last lost its omnipresent smile. But as quick as it disappeared, it comes back full force.

"Yes actually, I am planning to leave the corporation to my son, Daniel." Maddie's eyes grow as wide as dinner plates. _Did he really just say what I think he just said?!_ Everyone else stares at Vlad in disbelief. They had finally beaten him, and all of the sudden a son just appears? How convenient.

"You have a son? Why haven't we ever seen him, or heard of him for that matter?" Mr. Sanchez's obvious suspicion voiced nearly everyone else's thoughts. Maddie is still in a state of shock. All she can do is stare at Vlad. Her mind has come to a complete halt. Vlad himself doesn't even seem phased about what these words could mean for the future. In truth, he is just glad that oaf, Jack, could be of some use after all.

"Daniel is going to be placed in charge of one of the most lucrative, and widespread corporations in the world. Since his birth ten years ago, I have been molding him into someone who can take on that kind of responsibility, and thrive in it. To make sure none of that effort has gone to waste, I have done my best to control his outside influences. Besides that, there are other reasons I have tried to keep him out of the public eye. Corporate rivalry can be very cruel. Keeping him a secret is the best I could do to protect him." All around him, people stare at Vlad with open mouths. If Vlad, who as far as they know, grew up normal, turned out like this… What would a boy whom was bred and raised to act like Vlad become? They all feel three things right now: fear, horror, and respect.

"So when will we meet Daniel?" Everyone turns to the Masters expectantly.

"Not until he is ready. I still have much to train him in." Maddie's eyes flash in anger. _Train him?! He isn't a dog, Vlad. And do you honestly think that you can take my neglected child and turn him into your perfect son? Do you really believe that a kid who has known no family for the last seven years is going to accept the role as your heir? Danny is better than that. He is better than you._

"Well whenever he is ready, be sure to tell us so we can hold a party in his honor. And who knows? Maybe he'll hit it off with my Paulina." Maddie's disgust cannot be expressed in words. The Masters move on to another group of socialites, and the rest of the party passes in a blur.

 **Plot twist: Vlad and Danny end up together at the end of this. Just kidding, that would be so gross. Seriously he's like (if I'm doing the math right... 20-14+18) 24+ years older than Danny on the show. Does anyone else see how creepy that is?! Based on the sheer amount of Vlad/Danny fanfiction, I guess not.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Yeah so this chapter sucks worse than usual. I think it's on par with the terribility of the first chapter. I'm so sorry I've written another chapter. You really don't have to read it. I bet you were like: No updates in a month? It's over! YAAASSS! FREEDOM! Yeah well no. SO HA JERKS! Good luck! Disclaimer: Don't own anything except for a fantastic pair of socks, and a dream.**

 **Chapter 9: Ghost Game**

The Ghost Game has recently become one of Danny's favorites. It had all started on his tenth birthday just a few weeks before. He woke up that morning without a trace of his usual sleepiness. His face broke into a grin and he jumped out of bed in a fit of uncontrollable excitement. _Today is my birthday!_ His mind seemed to play this thought on loop. He ran out of his room and down the halls laughing and acting all around ridiculous. He kept leaping for several yards like a gazelle, and then swerving wildly like a drunk driver. This behavior was entirely unlike him. Normally he would try his best to remain unnoticed by the mansion's other inhabitants, especially Mr. Masters. But today he couldn't care less. _I am ten years old. Double digits!_ To Danny, this was a momentous occasion. He had no doubt that every person around would be wishing him a happy birthday. So when he saw a butler walking down the hall towards him, he couldn't help but beam up at him. The butler took no notice, and continued on his way.

Danny stood there in utter shock. _Sure no one had ever wished me a happy birthday in the past, but this one is supposed to be different. I'm ten! This is the most important birthday of my entire life!_ He felt invisible. His cheery attitude dissipated for all of five minutes before it was back at full blast. He sprinted as fast as he could around the corner. His face turned a bright red, and his breath came much faster. He felt adrenaline coursing through is body, and relished in every second. That is, until he crashed right into Mrs. Masters. They both lay sprawling on the floor for a few seconds. He started giggling like a mad man, and the lady of the house closed her eyes tightly. She then got up and left without giving him even a single glance. He gawked at this. _No happy birthday. No concern. No getting angry._ This confused him. No reaction had been received from her what so ever.

On one Halloween many years earlier, his tutor had been very ill. So for that day, a new one took her place. She was a kind woman from DALV who had been ordered to teach him something… anything. Having no previous experience as a teacher, she truly had no idea what to teach. In the end she decided to embrace the holiday and tell him fascinating tales of the creatures that haunt this night. She talked of witches, zombies, monsters, and ghosts. Ghosts interested him the most. Their after lives seemed so lonesome and sad. Invisible to all, but with thoughts and feelings all the same. Subconsciously, he had related these creatures to his own miserable life. But right now, the connection seemed to slam him in the face. _In this place I'm just a ghost. I could do anything and no one would care, or even take notice._ For a few moments he just sat there wallowing in self-pity. Then it hit him. _I could do anything, and no one would stop me._

And thus, the Ghost Game was born. He would act crazily. He would sprint and run and jump. He would run circles around servants. He would yell, talk to himself, and laugh. All the while, the people he did this around would ignore him completely. The only one he wouldn't dare do this near was Mr. Masters. That man walked around the halls with an ominous darkness surrounding him. One look at him would send Danny racing in the other direction. Mr. Masters is the only one who doesn't completely act as if he doesn't exist. He acts as if he'd like him to not exist. Every time their paths had ever crossed, Danny had been shot with a frightening glare.

A few weeks after his tenth birthday, Danny races through the halls happily. The two Masters are out for the evening for some party or another, so the hallways are safe for his haphazard play. He bounces from wall to wall like a crazed ping pong ball. All the while, he mentally composes his next note to Sam. He does this for quite some time before he feels something burning into the back of his head. He comes to a grinding halt and spins around with fear in his eyes. There stands the very man that haunts his nightmares, Mr. Masters. Danny freezes like a deer in headlights. He is absolutely petrified. Mr. Masters rolls his eyes at Danny's behavior, and calmly steps forward.

"Hello Daniel." These are the first words Danny has ever heard Mr. Masters say to him. He can't help but shudder at his cold tone. He continues to stay as still as a statue as if any wrong move could end in his early demise. "Walk with me." This causes a hot flash of shock to shoot through Danny's system. _Not only is he acknowledging me, but he's also asking me to accompany him. What did I do wrong? Is he mad about the Ghost Game? I should never have played that. I'm so stupid! What's he going to do to me?!_ Danny's mind is working too fast for him to keep up. He is so panicked by this point that he forgets to begin walking. "That was not a question." Mr. Masters' voice is like ice water. It snaps Danny back awake in seconds. He quickly starts to walk.

At first, they move in a deafening silence. The only sound Danny can hear is the steady patter of their feet and the erratic beating of his heart. Danny's legs twitch with the desperate urge to run away, but his brain does not comply. Eventually Mr. Masters glances over at him, and begins his speech.

"It seems I have accumulated a vast empire without acquiring an heir." Danny blinks at this. He doesn't understand most of what Mr. Masters just said, but he dares not question it. "I need an unknown entity that I can shape to suit the position. Fortunately I happen to have you." Danny can't help but wonder if Mr. Masters is talking in such large words on purpose. "You see, Daniel, you are the perfect candidate to become my heir. I can easily pass you off as my son. I've already tricked an entire party of social elites of your status, so I can't imagine it will be too hard to convince the rest of society. But in order to do that you'll need to be morphed into something you are most certainly not. That means no more playing, no more nonsense in the halls, and no more going outside. You will stay by your new teachers from dawn to dusk, and do exactly as they say. Do you understand?" Danny nods despite has confusion, and is about to run away when Mr. Masters stops him. "Oh and Daniel, you may be my son to the public, but I want you to remember something." Danny looks at him expressionlessly. "I will always hate you." With that Mr. Masters turns on his heel, walks around the corner and out of sight.

Danny stands there with Mr. Masters' final words still ringing in his ears. He may not realize it quite yet, but everything has just changed.

 **Lol "I will always hate you".**


	10. Chapter 10

**Okay so I read some of my summer reading book today, and it's one of those books that are super smart. I'm talking big words and high society airs. Anyways I guess my writing took a little bit after it in that sense. It's like back in eighth grade when I overloaded on Doctor Who and my voice gained a slight British accent for a few weeks. Yeah this is definitely the written version of that. Ignore it or embrace it, I seriously don't care. You do you. I'll just be in the corner high-fiving myself for my longest chapter yet. Yes that's right. It beat chapter five. Disclaimer: Guess what? I don't own Danny Phantom. What? You figured that out cause this is written on a sight called ? And here I thought I sounded legit.**

 **Chapter 10: Of Dreams, Changes, and Revelations**

The sheer extent of this change is something Danny could never have seen coming. After his… interesting talk with Mr. Masters, Danny decides to seek refuge in his room. He paces for a while in an attempt to wrap his head around all that Mr. Masters had been going on about _. I've always gathered that this man holds only resent for me, but hate?_ _What have I ever done to earn that? It couldn't have been something recent… he has always looked at me like I did something horribly wrong. For someone he hates, isn't it odd he has allowed me to live with him for so long?_ Danny freezes at this thought. _Why do I live here? Who am I to Mr. Masters that he lets me stay in his house. Heck! He even hired me a tutor! And what was it that he said I am now? An heir? What does that mean exactly?_ Danny frowns at this set back, and decides to make a mental note to ask his tutor tomorrow. He sighs in defeat before retreating to his bed. He lays there for several minutes, but sleep evades him. He can't get rid of this nagging feeling that he has forgotten something important that Mr. Masters said. He glares at the ceiling in frustration. An hour passes before his exhausted body manages to overpower his restless mind.

His dreams that night are of the odd variety, and that's saying something for someone as imaginative as Danny. It begins with the very thing he forgot. He sees Mr. Masters' face. His eyes are pinched, and his mouth is twisted in disgust. There's a dark cloud under his eyes cast by his angrily arched eyebrows. All of the hatred in this expression is being spit at Danny as Mr. Masters speaks two simple words: "My son". Than everything turns black and Danny begins to fall. He drops farther and farther into this abyss of nothingness. Time seems to drag together and race at impossible speeds until he lands on the ground. Hard. He sits there in a daze until he hears a voice.

"Danny boy are you okay?" Suddenly a light flicks on revealing a very large man clad in a bright orange jumpsuit. His face is oddly contorted. Danny can't quite make out his features, but can clearly see the concern written all over them. "Did you fall off the bed again?" Danny nods. Fresh hot tears drip down his cheeks. The man kneels down and brings Danny into a bear hug. Danny clutches the man as if his life depends on it. "There, there. It's okay. Daddy's here. Everything is going to be okay. Shhhhh." The man coos Danny until he begins to drift off. The world gets darker and darker as his eyes begin to droop shut. "Goodnight my son." With that, the world once again becomes black. But now instead of feeling as if he's falling, he feels like someone is shaking him.

"Get up, kid!" Danny's eyes spring open, and he sits up abruptly. His dreams dissipate from memory as he takes in the sight of a very well dressed man. He looks as if he is about to head straight into a business meeting. The man huffs in impatience. "I said get up. You know what that means? You get the hell up!" These words feel like a slap in the face to young Danny. No one has ever spoken to him this cruelly… other than Mr. Masters of course. He jumps out of bed and rushes over to his closet to grab some clothes. Once finished, he returns to the angry man. He looks Danny over in distaste before going over to the closet himself. Danny waits by his bed in confusion. "None of these will do," the angry man grumbles. He whips out his cell phone, and calls Mr. Masters' tailor. Minutes pass until another man stumbles into the room. He struts up to Danny, and begins to tut.

"I see what you mean. How is this boy supposed to run a company in these rags?" Danny can't help but be a little offended at the tailor's words.

"There's nothing wrong with my clothes!" He cries indignantly. The tailor dutifully ignores him, instead choosing to face the angry man.

"Toss them all. I'll have a new wardrobe finished by this time tomorrow." The man nods in agreement.

"No! I like my clothes!" Danny's protests are quickly shut down by the angry man.

"And I honestly don't care what you have to say. Go to breakfast. You'll be eating with Miss Spines in the dining hall." _The dining hall? I've never been allowed in there before. Who's Miss Spines anyway? Then again, who is this man, and why is he telling me what to do?_ The man turns away from Danny while simultaneously shooing him with his right hand. Danny silently sticks his tongue at the man before making his leave. He begins running down the halls in another round of the Ghost Game. _What if Mr. Masters catches me doing this again?_ He reluctantly slows to a walk, and continues on his way to the dining hall.

Miss Spines turns out to be a nasty lady in her mid-sixties. Like both the tailor and the angry man, her first impression of Danny is not a kind one. Upon entering the dining hall, Danny immediately sees her standing behind a chair at the far end of the table. He coughs out a greeting, and sits down.

"Wrong." Miss Spines informs him tartly. "You must apologize for being late, and ask me to please take a seat. Only after I have been seated may you sit yourself."

"Oh! Um… Sorry? Sit down?" Miss Spines' glare tells him he messed up somehow. He tries again. "I'm really sorry I'm late. There was this guy in my room who didn't like how I dress, so he called a tailor, and…"

"Enough!" Miss Spines cuts him off in a bout of irritation. "Please just sit, and we'll move on." Danny mumbles another apology. His mind then drifts to the spectacular spread on the table. His eyes glaze over as he takes sight of a particularly well-frosted cinnamon roll. _Is this for me to eat? I've never seen such delicious looking food before._ Without a second thought, he reaches forward and grasps the treat in question. "EHEM" Miss Spines eyes blaze in fury, causing Danny to drop the cinnamon role as if it were a white hot coal. "Were you raised by apes?" _Only for about a week, but then my tutor yelled at me for skipping class._ He didn't dare say this out loud. Not with Miss Spines' glare looking as if it could cut diamonds.

"No…" Danny murmured.

"What was that?" If he thought she looked furious before, than she is murderous now.

"I said no." This time he manages to make his voice a bit above a whisper.

"Speak up!"

"No, I was not raised by apes!" The look on Miss Spines face by this point would have scared even a man as frightening as Mr. Masters.

"That's no, ma'am to you boy." _If I have to endure this to eat my breakfast, than I'd rather wait for lunch._ The meal continues in this manner, of Danny being himself and Miss Spines desperately trying to teach him manners, until its conclusion. By then Danny finds himself exhausted from trying to both choke down food and the million rules of being polite. The angry man meets him outside of the dining hall door. He raises an eyebrow at Danny's disheveled state, but says nothing. He ends up taking Danny to his tutoring room where Danny is surprised to find a new tutor.

"Who are you, and what have you done to Mrs. Danby?" The new tutor is a grouchy looking man in his early fifties who turns out to be called Mr. Rich.

"I am but one of several different mentors that you will take on starting today. I specialize in business, and thus will be educating you in that area."

"Why am I getting new teachers?" To this Mr. Rich raises a condescending eyebrow.

"My boy, you do realize that your entire purpose of existing is to one day inherit one of the biggest companies on the planet? You think you can do that on the back of a single instructor?" _Is this what Mr. Masters was talking about last night? Maybe this is why he lets me stay with him. But why me?_ "And to think that someone as naïve as you is the son of the great Vlad Masters."

"Son?" Danny can't move, can't think. He can hardly breathe. _I'm his son? Mr. Masters is my father? But he said he hates me! I… I don't understand. He doesn't even talk to me. How can I be his son?!_

"Yes you simpleton! Please do try to keep up." At this point, Mr. Rich cannot stop laughing. Danny doesn't hear it. His mind seems to be somewhere far away, but his body remains present. He goes through the rest of the day in this cloud. Many different teachers introduce themselves to him. There is Miss Monroe who teaches French, Chinese, Italian, Spanish, and Japanese; Mr. Murphy who teaches history; Mr. Geo who teaches mathematics; Miss Pathos who teaches English; Miss Hearth who teaches finance; Mr. Bunsen who teaches the sciences; and also the angry man himself. The angry man says his name is Rush. He will be teaching Danny the art of communication. Unlike the other teachers, he won't be providing a class-type setting for Danny. He is just going to direct Danny through his day to day life. Of course Danny is too preoccupied to care about all of that right now. He's a little bit stuck on the whole not-being-an-orphan thing. Whatever those teachers tried to teach him that day, he didn't learn. By the time all his classes, and meals with Miss Spines, were over, Danny is just about ready to collapse. He crawls into bed at nine o'clock without a single trace of the previous night's insomnia.

In the chaos of the day, Danny forgot to deliver his note to Sam. While he may not be aware of it, this moment strikes the end of the Everest Game. Just like the hundreds of other lesser games he has played over the years, it simply becomes part of the collection of happy memories that will forever dwell in the space that is his childhood.

 **SAM'S POV**

Sam is confused to find no note left by the wall when she arrives. Her 'fellow adventurer' has been rather consistent since they began corresponding five years ago. She waits for an hour or so, but no longer. Her mom told her to be home by four, and she cannot afford to be tardy again. Sam begrudgingly flings her own note over the wall before leaving empty handed.

A day passes by as it tends to do. Sam eagerly returns to the wall only to be disappointed once again. She doesn't wait like she had yesterday. She just leaves her message and goes home.

Angry at being ignored, Sam doesn't return for another three days. By then she comes back with her chin held up high, and with a haughty letter in hand. The ground next to the wall remains empty. _Has he finally gotten bored of me? Did he find a new friend? Has he forgotten me?_ Tears roll down Sam's face. She wipes them away quickly. _If that's true, than two can play at this game!_ Sam heads straight for Tucker's.

Weeks pass by before she returns. This time she only goes for a confirmation of a truth she has already come to terms with. _Whoever that boy was, we are no longer friends._ She leaves a note bearing only one word.

Goodbye

 **I think the only reason I find the will to keep writing is when the occasional review just holds someone so caught up in whatever emotion they can't handle expressing that they just write some gibberish. To them I tip my very nonexistent hat and say a fond sjnfjhsebrchbcfhjbdhjfb hr uf rhjfjdhfbdhbfjdcfhrbchj x.**


	11. Chapter 11

**I'm gonna go straight to my point. This chapter is LONG. And it's also confusing. I jumped forward another four years, so just accept that. A constant theme of Danny in this chapter is his continuing confusion about who his parents are. Accept that as well. Those four years are hardly mentioned. Rush is over mentioned. And yeah so Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom or The Princess Bride. Be excited for a Princess Bride reference.**

 **Chapter 11: Gorgeous**

In all fourteen of his years, never once did Danny think someone could make him sick of a color. But right now, standing in the threshold of the Sanchez's mansion, Danny feels like throwing up. He actually has to squint to look around the room. _How these people found every conceivable piece of furniture in pink will never cease to amaze me._ True to his thought, every aspect of this home is the offending color. Hot pink walls and fluffy cotton candy color rugs. Salmon couches and blush colored throw pillows. Danny couldn't help but to scrunch his nose at the excessive use of redwood in the majority of the wooden furnishings. _I wonder how many poor creatures were dislocated to create this monstrosity._ There are so many different shades of pink vomited across the estate that even a list of every known type of pink can't cover it. Even worse is the practically camouflaged party guests. Each one is adorned with some sort of rosy attire. Danny absently grins stupidly at the thought that somewhere there is a rainbow at a police station reporting the color stolen.

"Daniel." Danny's fantasy blinks out of existence at the sound of his name. He winces to see his father pointing a death glare in his direction. "Are you going to doddle here all day, or are you going to do as I instructed?" It wasn't as much a question as a cold reminder. _My first time out of our house, and I'm already screwing it up. I have to focus. Where is she? Where is she? Where is she?_ This mantra plays repeatedly in his head as he scans the crowd for the reason this party is being held. It doesn't take too long to spot the 'eye of the party' **[A/N Get it? Like 'eye of the storm'? You know, like in hurricanes? "Wow you are just too clever!" Oh thank you my adoring fan! "You have a gift. You really do." Stop, please, you're embarrassing me! (A/N of an A/N Feel free to judge me for that.)]**.A crowd of adoring friends and family surround the pink-obsessed birthday girl. Danny turns to his father and mother, and musters up his perfect-son voice.

"Mother? Father? May I go present Miss Sanchez her gift?" Maddie nods distractedly, while Vlad grants him permission. _Sometimes I wonder why Maddie always seems be so far away. She's like me that way. Maybe she is my real mother. Maybe Vlad isn't a psychopath. Hmm… Wouldn't that be nice?_ Danny clears his head as his thoughts become pure sarcasm. He directs his attention to his feet. _Ha if Rush were to find out that I wasn't walking "like a gentleman" he would probably erupt._ Rush had spent days trying to drill just the simple act of walking properly into Danny's head. _And look at me now! I look just like the fruit loop over there._ Danny casts a sideways glance at Vlad's graceful strides over to the Sanchez parents. He mentally slaps himself back to attention as he approaches the perimeter of the crowd.

Danny briefly closes his eyes. He takes a few deep breaths and straightens his back. He then lifts his chin up and opens his bright blue eyes. People begin to take notice and make way for him. _Huh. I didn't think that would work. Rush was right. Woah!_ His eyes widen slightly. _Since when has Rush ever been right? Maybe the man who told me how to do this yesterday wasn't Rush… Maybe he was abducted! Could that be true? Are aliens real? If so, where do they live? And most importantly of all… Why would they want someone as annoying as Rush?_ If a man hadn't suddenly started choking on his drink a few feet away, Danny would never have come back to reality in time. Luckily the man can't handle swallowing. _Poor sap._ So Danny comes to a halt at an appropriate three feet from Paulina. He quickly applies a charming smile to his face, and takes her hand to kiss. He then looks up at her overwhelmingly vacant eyes, and swallows his pride.

"Miss Sanchez. I'm absolutely delighted to meet you." She seems to be quite taken by his chivalrous attitude. _Like the spoiled princess she is._ Which means Danny can move forward with the plan. "I heard it is your fourteenth birthday. I hope you don't mind, but I got you a gift." Danny has to hold back a look of disgust as the girl in front of him-whom happens to already be heavily laden with jewels and what looks to be a rather ornate ball gown-looks at him like a starved tiger for the aforementioned present. He hands it to her carefully, in fear that she might grab it from him. Amazingly, she manages to hold herself back enough to be handed the gift. She then daintily, but at the same time impatiently, unwraps the present. Her eyes sparkle as her greedy claws reveal a diamond studded, platinum bracelet. She puts it on her wrist, and only after admiring it for a minute does she remember her manners.

"I love it! Thank you… I'm sorry, but I don't believe I caught your name."

"It's Daniel. Daniel Masters." The crowd, still surrounding them, lets out a collective gasp. An evil glint flashes across Paulina's eyes. Her bright pink lips curl into something close to a sneer. Then in an instant so fast that Danny believes he imagined the whole thing, she puts on her flirtiest face.

"Well hello there Mister Masters…"

An hour or so later, and much to Danny's relief, Paulina asks him to fetch her some punch. He speeds out of her vicinity faster than Rush's name. He then slips down a hallway out of the girl's sight, and begins walking in an attempt to clear his head. _The fruit loop wants me to marry… That? That girl is crazy. Maybe even crazier than the fruit loop. I wish those aliens that abducted Rush would come back and take them as well. Or better yet, they could take me. Flying would be fantas-_ His thoughts are abruptly cut off as he finds the floor coming up fast to meet his face.

"Ouch!" Danny rubs his nose and turns to glare at whatever tripped him. To his complete and utter astonishment, the thing that caused his fall IS NOT PINK! _No way. I must have a concussion or something because there is no way that's purple._

"Why don't you watch where you're going," the purple object huffs. Danny is shocked by what looks to be a fallen, talking curtain. He reaches out his hand and pulls back the fabric. He is even more surprised to have his eyes be met by a menacing glare streaming from the two prettiest eyes he has ever seen in his entire life. The lavender pools almost make him nostalgic. _But what of?_

 **Sam's POV**

Upon arriving at Paulina's annual birthday bash, Sam followed up on a tradition of her own. She hurried away from her mom and towards the throng of people surrounding the Princess. By doing so, her mom ceased her constant watch under the misconception that her daughter was going to socialize. Sam faked mingling, while she simultaneously walked to the opposite end of the crowd. Once there, and beyond her mom's line of sight, Sam strolled over to the nearby hallway. Then she ran. The hallway is a long thing that stretches to nearly the other end of the house. The end of it is a great place to sit without being disturbed. So that is exactly what Sam did. She plopped down on the cool marble floor in a flounce of her deep purple skirts.

 _Ugh I wish Mother would let me take my phone to these stupid things. Then at least I could text Tucker. I'm so bored! At least I'm away from that pink. I think there's even more than last year. That was practically suffocating._ Sam had been spending these parties alone with her thoughts for as long as she can remember. She has tried everything in the past to entertain herself. Once she counted the floor's marble tiles. From end to end of this hallway the number had amassed to 5,360. She had enough time left in the party afterwards to recount. Twice. Her unfathomable boredom caused her to let out a laugh when she realized that the number of tiles had in fact been 5,370. That night, she called Tucker in excitement at her miscalculation. Tucker hung up on her. The next morning she woke up regretting the whole affair. **(A/N Not that you care, but I based this part off of something I did last year. I had been taking notes from my history textbook for six or so hours when I reached this part about the Great Schism**. **I laughed for an hour (in my defense, it was eleven and I was really tired) and called some of my friends to tell them how funny it was. They hung up too.)**

Currently, Sam's thoughts are on the animal rights movement. Or at least they were until some idiot trips over her. The perpetrator's foot catches onto her dress and throws part of the long skirt over her head. After having already been bored out of her mind for nearly two hours, Sam is in no mood for this crap.

"Why don't you watch where you're going!?" The dress is cautiously moved off her face by her assailant's hand. Once it's gone she gives whoever it is the death stare of a life time. _So it's a guy. Well at least it's not one of Paulina's phony henchmen. I really would not have the patience to deal with them. Why is he staring at me like that? Actually… he's kind of cute. Hold up. Where did that come from? I am so not as shallow as Paulina. No. His eyes aren't mesmerizingly gorgeous. They're simply blue. Like the sky. There's nothing mesmerizingly gorgeous about the sky. Wow great example. Pick the one blue thing that actually is mesmerizingly gorgeous. Oh god, he hasn't said anything. Is this a staring contest? Because I am so game for a staring contest right now. Especially when I'm forced to stare at something like that. Ugh what's wrong with me right now? HA HE BLINKED!_

"YOU LOSE!" Immediately after this leaves Sam's lips, she blinks in horror. _I said that out loud, didn't I? Shit. Hot guy over here probably thinks I'm crazy. What else is new?_

"What did I lose?" _It speaks! And OF COURSE HIS VOICE JUST HAS TO MATCH HIS EYES! In sexiness, not color. Obviously not color. Am I really blathering in my own head? Hey, maybe I am as crazy as he thinks._

"Our staring contest. And now, as the champion, you must do what I say." _Where am I going with this? All I'm doing right now is confirming my insanity._ Amazingly enough, Mystery Boy's face lights up. His mouth takes on a crooked grin that does not help Sam's new mental state.

"And what do you wish me to do, Your Highness." He raises an eyebrow. _Okay he doesn't think I'm nuts. Or he's nuts. He's not nuts, is he?_

"This hallway bores me. Take me somewhere more interesting." Gorgeous takes a deep bow. His majestic raven locks cover his face while doing so.

"As you wish." _Oh snap. He did not just quote "Princess Bride"! I am overreacting. Although he would totally make a perfect Wesley. Hell, he's even hotter than Wesley._ The boy takes her hand and begins briskly guiding her back towards the party.

"If we're going to the party, than I would rather stay in the hallway. It's much more interesting here." Hella Handsome throws back a laugh.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty, we'll just be cutting through." His playful manner reminds Sam of her childhood. _He's just like the boy from behind the wall. Blue eyes and all._ She can't help but smile at the similarities. He leads her up the imposing stairwell that flows from the ballroom. They glide over each step quickly, and pretty soon they reach the top. Out of nowhere, he starts to run. She sprints after him. He then jumps in front of her and abruptly stops. His arms catch around her, and he pulls her into the nearest room. The door closes behind them, leaving them alone in total darkness. After a moment or two, he pulls away from Sam and flicks on the light.

"Wow." Sam's mouth hangs in awe at this room. Everywhere she looks are stacks upon stacks of books. _Even I don't own this many books. Why do the Sanchez's of all people have such an amazing library?_ "How did you know about this place?"

"I didn't. I just picked a room at random." She looks over at him.

 **DANNY'S POV**

 _I lucked out with this room. She seems to love it!_ Danny is a little less impressed with it, only because Vlad happens to have a much larger library. Since play had been cut from the menu, Danny started spending what little free time he had in reading. Of course his selection had been vastly limited by his teacher's ideas of "useful reads". He still greatly enjoys it. As the Purple Eyed Wonder explores the piles of books, Danny decides to go sit down. He heads over to a plush window seat at the back of the room. It rests under what is probably a very large window. _Why would someone close these curtains? I bet the view is fantastic._ Danny yanks back the thick sheets of fabric, revealing a dark night sky. Stars sparkle back at him. And suddenly, he finds himself back in time.

" _And what's that one called, Daddy?" Three year old Danny bounces in excitement as he peers out his bedroom window._

 _"That one is called Pegasus." A very large man answers._

 _"Wow!" Danny crows._

The vision fades. Danny stares out the large window solemnly. _Either Vlad dieted since then, or he's not my father. Is that a good thing? In any case, where is this man? Who is he? What happened to him?_

 **SAM'S POV**

After a few minutes of checking out the books, Sam notices that the Boy hasn't spoken in a while. _Did he leave?_ She frantically looks around her until she spots him by the window. He seems completely entranced in the view. _It must be some view._ Going off of what she knows about trying to stargaze with light pollution, Sam strides over to the light switch and turns it off. She then heads over to Gorgeous and sits down next to him. _He doesn't even seem to notice me sitting here. Maybe I should break the silence._

"What's that one called?" The Guy's head snaps towards her. His expression is unreadable. He then follows her pointed finger with his eyes.

"Pegasus." His answer is so soft, that she can hardly make out the word.

 **DANNY'S POV**

 _Whoever this girl is, she makes me feel something strange. I think I might have felt it a long time ago. It's a lot like how I felt with that large man in my memory. Happy. Safe. Peaceful. And something else. I can't think of what that one's called._ Danny scoots a little closer to the girl. Close enough that he can feel the heat of her radiating onto his skin. But not close enough to touch. They stay this way for what feels like eternity. Every once in a while she'll ask the name of another constellation. He'll answer and gaze at her for a moment. Over the course of many of these glances he memorizes her appearance.

The girl's eyes are the color of lavender. They are surrounded by long dark lashes that cast a shadow on her cheeks. Her skin is pale. It reminds him of building snowmen in the winter as a kid. Her lips are the opposite. They are red. Not quite blood red, but enough that they stand out from the white. Her hair is chin length, and as dark as his own. It hangs over her face in a way that he can't help but think as cute. She's rather petite. The gown she wears makes her eyes seem brighter, but she doesn't seem all that comfortable in it. _Judging by her distain for the party, she must not be as girly as Paulina. She definitely doesn't seem as spoiled as Paulina._ After having to spend so much time with that horrible girl, anyone of the slightest difference would appeal to him. But the Girl seems to go even beyond that. 

_Didn't I tell Paulina that I would be right back with her punch?_

 **SAM'S POV**

 _"_ Fuck." Sam turns to her dirty mouthed companion and raises an eyebrow.

"What's wrong?"

"He's going to kill me!" Gorgeous groans in despair.

"Who's going to kill you?" Mister Attractive grows quiet. He opens his mouth as if to say something. Than anger passes over his eyes, and he closes it.

"I have to go." He is up and out of the room before Sam gets the chance to reply. She runs after him, but by the time she reaches the door, he's gone. She heads down the stairs to try to find him among the guests.

"Sammikins! There you are!" Sam suppresses a moan as her mother and father come over to her. "We were just getting ready to leave. Oh Sammy, it's wonderful that you were mingling with the other girls. Your father and I are so proud. So go say goodbye to your little friends and we'll be off." Her parents effectively destroyed any attempt at finding Mystery Boy. _And I never even learned his name!_ Defeated, she follows her parents out of the Sanchez's mansion. _It's frightening to think I feel reluctant to leave Paulina's._ Sam shudders at the very idea.

 **DANNY'S POV**

To say Vlad was furious with Danny would be an understatement. For A) Leaving Paulina without an explanation, Danny has been sentenced to two weeks of isolation. For B) Disappearing from the party for hours on end, Danny has lost any the privilege of accompanying Vlad to social gatherings for another year. Being that Danny has been locked in Vlad's estate for eleven years, and this party was supposed to be the start of his relative amount of freedom, it is no wonder he is more crushed about this one. _Now I'll have to wait another year to see… wow. I don't know her name. I spent hours with her and I didn't once think to ask for her name. I'm an idiot._

The entirety of those two weeks of isolation are spent with replays of the night. He thinks of that short time with the girl in fondness. And also regret. He regrets leaving Paulina and angering Vlad. He regrets being banned from going out for a year. He regrets not knowing her name.

 **If anyone is utterly confused by this, feel free to review and I'll attempt to clear it up. Sorry that I didn't make my weird disclaimer-summary-author-note-thing funny this time, but Summer is over. That means my endless free time reached an end of sorts. Also I really need to go to sleep, so this part is super rushed. GOOD NIGHT!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey I might be updating more frequently now that school's back to procrastinate against doing homework. Funny how that works.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own a pair of moon shoes, and I don't own Danny Phantom either. I think that was the saddest sentence I've ever written. Excuse me while I cry in the corner.**

 **Chapter 12: Isolation Vacation**

Having time to think and reflect is nearly always thought of as a good thing. It is for this reason, Vlad came up with the punishment for Daniel that he did. Two weeks of isolation.

"What could possibly go wrong?" Vlad muses.

 **DANNY'S POV**

Of course isolation is second nature to Danny since he was raised mostly by a diverse selection of imaginary friends. After four years of being constantly watched; of having all of his thoughts and actions controlled; of sticking (for the most part) with reality. This two week-long imprisonment is a vacation of sorts. All of Vlad's training is meaningless in here. There is no point in dressing to impress. There is no one to exercise his manners with. All he can do is sit in the room Vlad locked him in, and contemplate life.

Much to Danny's delight, this room is in all basicness, a dungeon. _I've joked about him having one in the past. But I never actually thought he had one! This is fantastic._ The cell is about ten by ten feet. It features cold stone walls, a dirt floor, and an omnipresent dripping sound. Danny would end up spending much of his first night in this room trying to find its source. Unfortunately, like the number of licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie pop, this is one thing the world may never know **(A/N: Might as well throw in an "I don't own tootsie pops". And contrary to what I just said, I do know how many licks it takes. It's a little over 700. Oh and I do hope you people get this reference. This commercial is kind of old, but a classic no less)**. The cell also contains some fairly gross furnishings. It has a musty old cot in the corner (this has some mystery as well: What created these stains?), a questionably clean chamber pot, and a pair of unoccupied, rusty shackles attached to the far wall. _I wonder why he built this in the first place. Like seriously? What's the point? Does he lock people in here on a regular basis? Am I just the current of many previous tenants?_

His first day of imprisonment is also the last that he bothers to hold onto his sanity. He spends nearly the entire day reviewing the events of last night's party. As has become the norm of his past four years, he first thinks about his relationship with Vlad. _He says he is my father, and yet he never acts anything but cold to me. And then there was that vision from last night. That big man. He looked so familiar. I'm sure I've seen him before, if not in real life, than in my dreams. Who is he? I called him "Daddy". But that was so long ago, I must've been… What? Three? I can't tell if this is a memory or just something I made up. I'm so confused. Maybe the fruit loop has been lying to me. That seems like him._

 _But if he's not my dad, than is Maddie not my mom? She doesn't act like how a mother should either. She never hugs me, or cares for me, or even talks to me. But there is something about her that is so different from Vlad. She doesn't ever look at me or treat me with hate. I've even seen her smile at me in passing before. And besides that, she is so like me sometimes. She is always off somewhere in her head. She never seems to be truly present. She could be my mother. Maybe she and the man from my vision are my real parents. I bet they would've loved me. Hell, I KNOW they wouldn't have thrown me in a dungeon!_

Of course the topic of his parentage isn't anything new. Any connections or ideas of who his parents are, is packed away to the back of his brain. They aren't something that he can solve by simply speculating. Instead, he allows his mind to wander over to that girl. _I wish I could travel back in time and get to know her. I know nothing about her. Well, except for the obvious. I know she's beautiful. I know she's funny and clever. I know she's kind and patient. But that's about it. I don't even have a name to put to her face. Ugh. How did I never even think to ask for that?_ Besides bathing in regret, there really is nothing he can do in regards to his mystery girl.

That concludes day one. Day two is… interesting at best. It's a sharp contrast to the previous day. Danny wakes up in his cot with an old mindset. One that he was forced to abandon four years back. If anyone had bothered to watch him through his cell's bars, they would see a crazed look twinkling in his eye. They would look at his messy raven hair, the deep bags under his eyes, and his frightening smirk. And they would likely run away as fast as they could. Danny looks around his seemingly empty prison, and begins to laugh. He gets up and strides across the room into a small area under the barred window. Light streams down, highlighting an impossible thing. A young fern grows out of the dirt floor.

"General! It has been far too long." Danny embraces the plant. "I've missed you, old friend." Danny spends the day catching up with General Fern. He laughs at Fern's jokes, and cries at his war stories. He even tells Fern some tales of his own. He talks about his problematic relationship with Vlad, and his regrets about the girl from the party. Fern listens intently. Occasionally he nods as a slight breeze flows from the window. In the end, he decides to ask Danny a question.

"So you have about twelve days left in here?" Danny nods. Fern's face breaks into a grin. "Well then I know exactly what we need to do. Say it with me now: Dozen. Day. Party." Danny's eyes grow wide and soon he is smiling right alongside Fern. Invitations are created and Fern makes his leave with a mail sack full of them. Danny goes to sleep, happy that The Party game is back.

Since the Party's invention when he was five, it has been greatly revolutionized. The dirt floor is replaced by a multicolored LED dance floor. The ceiling is beyond coated with streamers. Pizza and cookies make their rounds via butlers. A bottomless punch bowl rests in the corner. Music blares from speakers. Strobe lights flash while a disco ball spins from the ceiling. And most importantly, the room is packed. Party guests from all walks of life mingle and dance. Some familiar faces are there such as Miss Sunflower and the General. But strangers are just as common. Danny finds himself telling jokes to a crowd of seven people he has never seen before. One is a large spider, another is a man named Dwayne (in reality he's a rock). The other five are a clique of ghosts **(A/N I wrote this and was like "Whoops forgot there are actual ghosts in this story! This might get confusing. To clear it up, these five are pure imagination.)**. Later, Danny would find out that they were previous inhabitants of this very cell.

By its third day, the party had long since become out of control. _I'm amazed Vlad hasn't sent someone to stop us yet._ Part of the thrill of the party is hiding its existence from the rest of the Mansion. Whenever someone would come to his cell with food, Danny would silence the music and everyone would hide. A few would always start giggling. Which would in turn, bring on a round of shushing. Danny would grow more and more anxious of the food deliverer to leave in fear that he would hear them. _Thank goodness he never does._

Some of Danny's party guests give him really good advice. After listening to Danny recount his woes, Miss Sunflower's sisters all sigh in discontent. Her eldest sister, Rose, has firetruck red hair that truly stands out in the usually dank dungeon. She swings her hip **(A/N rose hip pun unintended)** forward, and looks at Danny like he's missing the obvious.

"Kid, you have to come up with an escape plan."

"Nah, I like spending time with all of you guys in here. He'll let me out in a few days anyway." Rose rolls her eyes.

"I meant you need to escape from Vlad. As in you leave the estate. As in you take control of your own life!" Her sisters back her up with nods and a chorus of "mmhmmm"s. Danny just stands there flabbergasted. _Escape? From Vlad? Leave the estate? Control my own life? That's… That's impossible. I can't just leave and never come back. Hell, I don't even know what's out there! I wouldn't have anywhere to go. But I could go anywhere. I've never had that option…_

"But how would I do it?!" _I can't believe I just said that out loud. What if Vlad figures out that I'm thinking about escaping? He'll kill me!_ Rose just looks at him blankly. She doesn't know what to say to that. Her youngest sister, Marigold, steps up.

"I propose a two year plan." The group all turns to her with quizzical expressions. "What you have to do is gain Vlad's trust. Face it, Danny, he hates you. You have to change that. Blow away your teachers with a mastery in each subject. Make it so Vlad doesn't think you need Rush to tell you what to do anymore. Make Vlad notice you. At the next party, DO NOT SPEAK TO THAT GIRL. I know you want to, but don't. You can always find her after you make your escape. In the meantime, go around the party. Mingle with people, flirt with Paulina, and make yourself seem utterly perfect. That party is the one place Vlad won't be able to ignore you. After that, make it your mission to get close to him. Dine with him and Maddie. It doesn't matter if they are or are not your parents. That is irrelevant to the plan. Study him. Get close to those around him as well. Then one way or another, an opportunity will present itself. That is when you escape." Everyone simply gaps at little Marigold. Danny, himself, is scrambling for words.

"But… how… when… How long will this take?"

"As I said before, this is a two year plan, so ideally you'll be free by when you're about 16. Any other questions?" The other girls, and Danny, remain silent. "Perfect! So are you in?" Danny just stands there for a few minutes. The sisters lean in, in anticipation. Danny's head does a hardly noticeable nod. Marigold's eyes darken. "The pact is sealed."

 **RUSH'S POV**

Rush enjoyed his own vacation while Daniel was down in the basement. _Two whole weeks away from the kid. I can't believe it's over._ Rush sighs unhappily as he makes his way down the stairs to Daniel's cell. The prison door's key jingles in his hand. He makes sure his steps are slow and deliberate. _Anything to give me a few more minutes of peace._ But eventually he reaches the door to the cell. He opens it up, and stands back for the kid to come out. After two weeks of being locked in a small enclosed space, anyone would look insane. Rush is astounded to see that for the boy, this is not the case. Daniel strides out of his prison with his head held high. His back is pin straight, and his clothes are not even the least bit rumpled. He greets Rush with the same charming smile that Rush had drilled into his head three weeks ago.

 _Um… Well this is new._ As they walk to Daniel's attic room so he can get cleaned up, Daniel makes polite conversation. _He's using every trick in the book. His communication skills are perfect. But how?!_ Later, once Daniel is freshly dressed, Rush leaves him to attend his classes. After each class's allotted time has ended, the teacher of said class runs into Rush's office. They are pale and breathing irregularly. They all tell Rush the same thing.

"Daniel knows all of my material. I don't understand how! He's at the same level as me!" That night Rush leaves Daniel so he can sleep. But at the last second he stops, and peers through Daniel's bedroom door. The boy is sitting up on his bed with an insane grin on his face. His lips move as if he's saying something. Rush strains his ears to catch whatever is coming out of his mouth.

"Phase… motion. Every… ccording… plan. …Marigold." Rush backs away slowly. _He's talking to himself! This can't be good._ He runs to his room and locks the door. _I'll deal with this in the morning._

 **Yeah, I made Danny crazy again. I reread the story and learned two things: I had put his room in the attic, and he's insane. Strange that, that major characteristic escaped my mind. Oh well. Bringing it back. By the way, I noticed a lot of people have been asking, so I'm going to answer the question. Yes. Ghosts are involved in this story and Danny will become Phantom when I feel like it. Now stop pestering me. And I might as well clear up what Danny was saying in his room. "Phase one is in motion. Everything is going according to plan. Night, Marigold." Or somewhere along those lines. I wrote this last night, so I really do not know what I was saying. Whatever.**


	13. Chapter 13

**This chapter is short because I felt that where I ended it was nice and cliffy. The next chapter will probably be longer and GOOD NEWS: I'M DONE SKIPPING THROUGH THE YEARS AFTER THIS ONE. That's right people! He is sixteen, and nothing is going to change that. I'm no time lord, so the rest of the story will stay in the same year. Disclaimer: Don't own DP or DW.**

 **Chapter 13: The Perfect Son**

 **VLAD**

 _Last night was yet another one of Paulina's birthday bashes. It's the sixteenth of these horrid gatherings I've had to go to in her honor. Sixteen too many if you ask me. Unfortunately if all goes according to plan, there will be plenty more of those in my future. I swear that family would have saved millions if they'd never had her. And that would only be the better for me. The more money they have the more lucrative the union between her and Daniel. It's too bad you can't have a wedding with only one person._ Vlad laughs wistfully at his own joke. _Actually it would be even better if we could have merged our families without holding a wedding. Training Daniel has been a rather strenuous task indeed. His behavior at the Sanchez's house two years back was horrendous. They nearly called off the whole deal because of that! If he wasn't so necessary to my plans, I would've killed him._

Vlad enters the dining hall and strides over to his designated chair. A servant scurries over and pulls it out so that he can sit. Vlad does not even offer the lowly man a nod of appreciation. He simply takes a seat. Chairs can be heard shuffling across the table as Daniel and Madeline sit as well. _It has been nearly a year since I permitted Daniel to dine with us. I must say, he has yet to act as anything but a gentleman. Mental Note: Do not kill Miss Spines. She has proved to be a very effective teacher._ Vlad takes up his spoon and begins to politely sip his soup. All the while he stares at his heir.

Daniel quietly eats his own soup. Once he finishes, he begins to make polite conversation with his mother. _He has been the perfect son since I let him out of the dungeon. He has gone above and beyond my expectations of him. Last night it wasn't just Paulina who fell for him. It was everyone at the party. He has become the epitome of high society life. Everyone either wants to know him, do business with him, or be him. He is quite obviously done with his teachings. He knows everything about being an heir._ Daniel smiles as he listens to Madeline tell him a story about her youth. _I think it's time. He is as ready and loyal as a person can get. I'll do it tonight._

 **WILL SOMEONE GET ME A SMOOTHIE!? This is a serious question.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hello readers! This is your author speaking. How's your day going? Eat any oddly shaped fruits recently? How tall would you be if you could be anyone? You have 24 hours to answer these questions. The fate of the world is in your hands. Good luck.**

 **Disclaimer: Do not, have not, and never will own Danny Phantom. Sad but true.**

 **Chapter 14: Trust**

 **DANNY'S POV**

 _This meal is precarious at best. I feel that if I were to so much as use the wrong fork, Vlad would think less of me. Ugh... That would mean months of hard work down the drain. Thank god I'm not sitting next to him. Maddie isn't so harsh. Actually, from what I've seen over the past year of being so close to them, she's pretty submissive. It's really strange because sometimes she seems so lively. Like right now for instance. She's telling me about her first day at college. She's smiling and laughing. Her eyes seem to glisten with excitement. It's not hard to imagine her that young from the expression on her face. But then there are times where she acts as if everything is lost._

"I walked into that lab with my head held high. I was trying to exude confidence in the hope that it would earn respect from my peers." Maddie lets out a small chuckle as she remembers the next part. "Unfortunately for me, keeping my head held high meant I didn't see the puddle of spilled chemicals at my feet. Turns out one of my future lab partners was a very big klutz and had knocked over a beaker moments before I walked in. Anyways, next thing I knew my feet flew up and I was in the arms of the very person who caused my slip." Maddie's eyes cloud over. _This part doesn't seem so bad. Why has she gotten depressed all of the sudden? It couldn't have been because of what happened. Maybe it's about the guy who caught her?_ _Does this person have to do with why she seems so sad all the time? I wish I knew._

After dessert is finished, Vlad stands up and announces that dinner is over. Danny gets up and pulls Maddie to her feet. She thanks him under her breath before shuffling out the door. Danny is about to follow when he feels a hand on his shoulder. He jumps in surprise and a shudder roles down his spine. _What does he want?_

"Daniel, my son. I'd like to show you something." _Show me something? Does this mean he finally trusts me?!_ Danny suppresses a manic grin, his body tingles with excitement. _The two year plan IS nearly up. Maybe I finally did it! Wait 'til Marigold hears this._ Vlad strides out the door with Danny following close behind. They walk in silence for a few minutes until Vlad veers into the library. _The library? Does he want to recommend me a book?_ He watches skeptically as Vlad approaches the fireplace, and flips up a small statue of a football. _What's he…_ A loud click echoes across the room. Danny can hear the soft whir of cogs turning behind the wall. He watches in awe as the fireplace glides aside. In its place, there is a dimly lit stairwell. It looks like a stereotypical secret passageway: Made of stone, lit by torches, and decorated in cobwebs. _Of course Vlad has one of these. Crazy fruit loop._ Vlad heads in with Danny scurrying to keep up.

It turns out that the stairs lead to a high tech lab. _Why does he have this here? Doesn't he have one at the office? Why keep this a secret? What does he do down here?_

"This, Daniel, is my lab." _Well no shit._ "I use it to develop my more revolutionary inventions." _I knew he majored in engineering in college, but a closet inventor? And doesn't he have an entire building devoted to making top of the line inventions for him? What was it called again? Oh yeah, Axium Labs. Can't he just work there like a normal person? Is it really so necessary to create this whole lair under his mansion just to do what he could do at the office? It's like everything he does has to emphasize how much money he has to spare. Oh no is he still talking?_

"-shouldn't explode anymore. Anyways, let me show you what I brought you down here for. This is my latest, and most promising invention. I call it, The Ghost Portal." He yanks away the canvas that had been covering said invention, and gestures to it proudly. _Woah. This is amazing! The technology in this machine goes beyond anything I've ever seen before. Not that I've seen all that much. What with the whole 'trapped-inside-this-house' thing._ "Its purpose is to create a portal between our dimension and the Ghost Zone. It could potentially bring the paranormal field decades into the future. Sadly, it doesn't seem to be functional. I tried to fix it, but I'm too close to the project and wouldn't be able see even the most obvious error. That's where you come in. I was wondering if you'd be a good lad and try to find the problem from the inside." Danny just gawks at him.

"I'm not qualified for this! I've don't know the first thing about 'Ghost Portals'. I don't think I'll be of any use to you. You're better off finding someone who knows what they're doing to figure it out." Vlad lets out a few tuts and shakes his head.

"It is of the upmost importance that I get it running tonight. Tomorrow I am having several members of the DALV Board over to check it out. You're the best I can do on such short notice." _What if I break it? He'll be so mad at me. All the trust I've been trying to build with him for the past two years will fly out the window._ Danny subconsciously rubs his neck. His eyes dart over to Vlad. _He's starting to look impatient! I have to decide and fast. Yeah he'll hate me if I break it, but he'll hate me even more if I refuse to help. At least if I break it, it's partially his fault. I mean, he's the one asking a teenager to fix his precious creation. Whatever happens is on him._

"I-I'll do it." _Oh god, I hope I don't regret this later._

"Very good, Daniel!" _Vlad almost seems to be beaming. I didn't know people without hearts could look so happy. I'm going to die aren't I?_ "You'll have to wear this just in case." Vlad hands him a HAZMAT suit, and gestures for him to put it on. _Just in case. IN CASE OF WHAT?! Hello Vlad, I believe you've used up this month's ominous allowance. Do try to save some for other people next month. Fuck. I'm going to blow up. This machine is going to blow up. I'm going to be incinerated. My legs will randomly disappear_ **(A/N Wrote this and then remembered that, that is actually the case** ** _)_** _. I'll turn bright purple. My voice will sound like a radio newscaster for the rest of my life. Bottom line: I am not making it out of this in one piece._ Now dressed, Danny has begun hyperventilating. "Stop being such a drama queen and get in there!" Vlad shoves him towards the machine, and Danny goes stumbling in.

 _I'm gonna break something. I'm gonna break something. I'm gonna break something._ After he regains footing from Vlad's kind push, he begins to take a look around. _Wow! This technology is spectacular. I can't believe the fruit loop actually invented this. But he said it doesn't work. Strange that he wouldn't come in here to look for the problem himself. He did build this, you'd think he would know it like the back of his hand. Maybe he's right and all he needs is a fresh set of eyes to take a look. But... What's this?_ To his left, there are two buttons. They are big and brightly colored, and all in all, noticeable. One is labeled "On". The other is labeled "Off". _This can't be the problem. Can it?_

"Um… Vlad? Did you ever try pushing the 'On' button?" Vlad lets out a strangely unconvincing laugh.

"Oh silly me! I knew I forgot something. Will you be a dear, and turn it on?" Danny gazes at the button uncertainly. _Isn't it a bad idea to turn something on while inside of it? But I guess if that were the case, Vlad wouldn't have been stupid enough to put the on switch in here. It's probably fine._ Danny brings his finger up to the button and hesitates for one second more. _If I don't survive this, I'm leaving everything I own to General Fern._ He slams down on the button, and grins triumphantly. _Look! I'm still alive. Maybe I was wrong about Vlad. Why would he want to kill me?_ In that moment, thousands of volts of electricity flow into his body.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHGHHHGHHHGHHHHH!" The pain is unbearable,then everything fades to black.

 **Can I just say something? I love my reviewers. There are those frequent ones who have been with me since the beginning. Lexx, Brenne, Cindy M, and EmeraldSeaGamer: Shout out to you guys for being awesome. Whenever I post a chapter, I spend the following days near-religiously checking my email for review updates. So why am I saying this randomly 14 chapters deep into my story? What a great question! A certain someone wrote me a hella long review, and I feel the need to respond. Darn them for being a guest. I guess I'll have to do it here.**

 **Dracoya! Hey! You are a beautiful human being. That was all I was thinking through your entire review. Except for the book part. I just laughed a bit there. Sorry I don't ever plan on publishing this as a novel, although I would totally hire you as my editor if I did. You're amazing!**

 **Love,**

 **General Fern**


	15. Chapter 15

**This chapter is... interesting? I wrote it over the course of three days. Each one of these days was far enough apart that most of this makes no sense. Reading over it, I noticed that I used similar themes and phrases throughout the entire thing. The title is basically representative of that. You have no idea how few words someone can use to describe a bed before just saying bed. Ooh Abba's on my Pandora. Gah I need to focus. I've been pretty sleep deprived throughout the course of this chapter. I guess that explains the THREE DIFFERENT BEDS I TALK ABOUT. So if you're the kind of person who needs rest to the point of ACCIDENTALLY WRITING ABOUT IT, you'll love this chapter! Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom or Twilight (don't question that one too much, you'll get it soon enough).**

 **Chapter 15: Beds, Murders, and Tears**

 _Darkness. All there is, is darkness. It looms over the small boy in his bed. It creeps up on him. It threatens him with its unknown. He drags his thin blanket over his face. The attic is cold, but it's the monsters he wants to keep away. Warmth is irrelevant. Wind blows invisibly through the rafters. Something is creaking eerily. He shivers. Tears trickle down his face. No one comes to comfort him. No one cares. He chokes back a sob and curls up tighter under his meager bedding._

 _Footsteps. He hears muffled footsteps padding up the stairwell. The stairs squeak under the footfall. He stiffens. The darkness mocks him. 'It's a witch', it seems to say. 'A sorcerer who has come here to cut off your hands and eat them.' The door groans. The boy clenches his eyes shut tight. He clutches his sheets for even a semblance of comfort. Soft thumps reach his ears as the witch makes her way across the room. 'This is it.' Tremors of fear wrack his body. It takes all of his willpower not to jolt up when he feels the witch's clawed hand on his shoulder. Even in the pitch black, he can see her. Tall. Green. Covered in warts. A knife in hand._

 _"Danny." His eyes spring open. That voice. It's familiar. For some reason it calms him down instantly. 'Definitely not a witch', he thinks. "Oh Danny, I'm sorry. I am so, so sorry. This is all my fault." He frowns. No one talks to him anymore. This person must think he's asleep. It's not like she can see him watching her intently from under his blanket. "I—I messed up. Your father… Oh god your poor father." His visitor isn't crying like he just was. She isn't afraid. She is sad. Unbearably sad. "Jack was always so clueless, but I never was. I would have had to be blind to have not seen how Vlad looked at me. But Danny, I was so young! So stupid. I thought the two of them were like a game. Jack would make me laugh. Vlad would buy me the most elaborate gifts. And I loved it._

 _"I don't know when it all started, but I began to keep score in my head. Awful—I was just awful. When that accident happened in the lab, Jack saved me. He saved my life. I looked into his eyes and felt the feeling I saw staring back at me. Love. I just couldn't believe it. I never thought I would fall for one of them. I thought the game would just go on and on." She lets out a strangled laugh. "So stupid! I was so stupid, and then I was so in love. That day I fell in love, Jack won my game, and Vlad was sent to the hospital. He stopped talking to your father and I, and I guess I just assumed he blamed us for his accident. That was my mistake. I didn't have the courage to face the man I had broken. The one whose heart laid shattered because of me._

 _"If I had talked to him… maybe he would have moved on. Maybe he wouldn't have blamed Jack for winning. That was my fault. Jack died because of me. Your sister is… I don't even know! I don't even know where my baby girl is. She could be dead for all I know. Vlad could have gone back to the house and killed her. I might never know. And you… I am so sorry. I love you. I hope you know I love you. Because I love you more than anything. I love you so, so much. Never forget that. Please never forget that. Without Jack and Jazz, you are my Everything. I may not be able to show that anymore, but it's there. I will always be there for you. Even if being there for you means watching from the sidelines. You will always be my baby."_

 _The quiet weeping next to him draws to an end. The woman tiptoes back across the attic and opens the door. The boy peeks out from his blanket just in time to see the stairway's light illuminate her face. 'Mrs. Masters?' The door shuts and he returns to searching for sleep in his uncomfortable bed._

The sun bursts through the big French windows and straight onto the contorted face of the sleeping teen. He rolls over in upset. _How can it be morning already? I only just closed my eyes._ He drags his straggly blanket higher up his face and is surprised when his fingers don't meet the usual rough material. Instead, he feels a thick, plush comforter. Actually, now that he thinks about it, the mattress' springs don't seem to be jabbing him in the back like usual. _What is this? I feel like I'm in a cloud._ His eyes snap open. The room that greets him only causes further bewilderment. First off, it's big. Not the shallow lofty size of the attic, it's grander than that. Between the cathedral ceiling and the sheer vastness of the room, grand is definitely the word that strikes Danny's mind. Besides its enormity, it is also filled to the brim with ornate furniture. Everything seems to be painstakingly detailed in gold. The place as a whole looks like a chamber in Versailles. _Either I've wandered into the Sun King's castle, or I'm dead._

 _How did I get here? The last thing I remember is dinner with Vlad and Maddie._ At the thought of Maddie, Danny presses his hands to his face. _Maddie was in my dream. What was that about? I can't remember anything. And I can't help but think that it was important. Something big happened in that dream. It's right there at the tip of my tongue. Ugh I hate this feeling! Oh well, one problem at a time. 'Where am I?' comes first._ He props himself up by his elbows to get a better look at his surroundings, and is immediately hit with a wave of nausea. He falls back, rolling over so his face is pressed firmly into his pillow. After a minute or two of this, the sick feeling passes. He turns back over and lets out a deep sigh. _What was that about?_ He wearily tries to remember what happened between small talk with Maddie and waking up here.

 _I followed Vlad to his—secret lab? That's just crazy enough to be true. Okay then what… Oh yeah. He asked me to try fixing his portal thing. I went inside and…_ His eyes widen in horror. Images of bright green zap across his mind. The memory of the excruciating pain makes him double over on himself. _Electrocution. I was electrocuted… How am I even alive? I shouldn't have survived something like that…_ _How could I be so stupid? An on-button inside of a machine is the equation for electrocution. How did I not see that coming?!_ He lets out a groan. Then it hits him. _How did Vlad not see that coming? Unless… no not even he would... he knew. He had to have known. Anyone who can construct something so complex would know not to put the on-button inside the machine. Which means he told me to press that button knowing the consequences. He tried to kill me._

Danny stares at his ceiling in disbelief. But then confusion settles down on his face. _But if Vlad tried to kill me, why am I still here? Actually, why am I in this ridiculously nice room? Oh god… I am dead, aren't I?_ All of the color drains from his face. _There are so many things I still needed to do. I never got to escape. I never got to find out the truth behind why I was raised in this mansion. I never got to find that girl from the dance. I never got to send another letter to my old fellow adventurer. No. I can't be dead. I refuse._ In rebellion against his own death, Danny flings himself off the bed. This quick action's only result is making him nearly pass out. He uses the wall to stay up and waits for his vision to clear.

He spots a mirror across the room and decides to assess how messed up he is. A few wobbly steps later, and he's in front of the mirror. But in place of his reflection, he sees a guy about his age staring back at him. His skin is tanner than Danny's. His hair is as white as freshly fallen snow. His eyes are a radioactive green. His form is encased in a black and white hazmat suit. And as the icing on top of the cake, his entire body is glowing. Not like a florescent lightbulb, but more like mood lighting—dim. It doesn't take an expert to tell that this kid is a ghost. _That's… me. I'm a ghost. I'm dead._

"I'm dead." His voice goes in time with the reflection's mouth. "Vlad did it. He killed me."

"Now Daniel, there is no need for the theatrics." Danny whips around, wincing back the pain, and glares at the intruder.

"YOU KILLED ME," Danny roars.

"I did no such thing. In fact, I did quite the opposite. I improved you." Vlad smirks condescendingly at the livid teen.

"Improved? IMPROVED?! I'M DEAD, VLAD. DECEASED. AS IN I NO LONGER HAVE A PULSE. AS IN MY LIFE IS LITERALLY OVER. AS IN YOU'RE A MURDERER." Vlad chuckles.

"You'll find that this state is only temporary." And true to his words, a pair of bright rings appear around Danny's waist. They split and travel across his body leaving his old human self behind. Speechless, Danny takes in a breath for the first time in nearly a day. "If you will allow me, I can train you to control your ghost half."

"What?" Awe and disbelief still color Danny's tone. His mind can't comprehend how any of this is possible.

"You see, Daniel, 22 years ago, I had an accident very similar to your own. It left me with extraordinary powers. Unimaginable abilities. One day I was just an ordinary college student, the next I had the means to become the most powerful man on Earth." His eyes glint in memory. "Over the years I have discovered the extent of these abilities. I can fly, duplicate to the hundreds, turn invisible and intangible, and so much more. All of this has allowed me to gain my riches. To gain all of my desires." Danny's eyes darken in understanding.

"You steal."

"What? Oh no. Vlad Masters doesn't do anything of the sort. Plasmius, on the hand…" Vlad trails off.

"Plasmius? Who the hell is Plasmius?" Danny doesn't like the grin this question puts on Vlad's face.

"I thought you'd never ask." Vlad lifts his arms up and tilts his head towards the ceiling. Danny's jaw drops as a pair of eerie red rings form around Vlad's waist. They split and go across his body just as Danny's had minutes before. The difference being that a ghost is left behind rather than taken away. And a malicious looking ghost at that. From his pointed, horn-like black hair to his soulless red eyes, whatever had replaced Vlad sends chills down Danny's spine. The monster flips back his blood colored cape so that the light really catches on his blue skin. His familiar smirk reveals fangs. "This is Plasmius." _His voice echoes, but there is no doubt that this… thing… is Vlad._

"I know what you are."

"Say it." Vlad growls. Danny's stays silent. Petrified. "Out loud."

"Vampire," Danny blurts. Vlad's expression is priceless.

"What?! I'm a ghost! How did you not get that? I even said I'm half ghost!" Danny chokes back a laugh. _I may have hated Twilight, but I think Vlad just made it my favorite movie._ ( **A/N I saw an opportunity and took it. How do I justify Danny seeing Twilight? How about he accidentally walked in on Maddie watching it in Vlad's personal theater. Perfect.)**

"Well you do have fangs." Vlad looks as if he is about to explode. He take a deep breath (to calm himself, not for oxygen purposes) and proceeds with his next words carefully.

"If you are going to be my perfect heir, you are going to have to keep up my business. That means training under me. I made you into a ghost for that purpose and that purpose alone. I did not do this so that you could make jokes. In my history, I have found that heirs aren't that hard to come by. Don't think for a second that I won't dispose of you if you disappoint me." The atmosphere of the room turns cold at the seriousness of his threat. Danny sobers up instantly.

"I—I understand."

"Your training will begin in the morning. Good night." Danny watches him exit the room silently. His brain is too exhausted from all that has happened since waking up. His body is about ready to collapse from his injuries. But he doesn't move. He just gazes at the door. And while he doesn't realize it at the moment, now is the first time he has been surrounded in pure quiet since he was three. Not even the voices in his head dare to make a peep.

 **Maddie's POV—The night before**

Maternal instinct is something Maddie has done her best to suppress since her husband's death. It has always been a struggle. Whenever she saw Danny crying or someone treating him badly, she forced herself to turn away. It has always been at its worse when the person hurting him was Vlad. Because when that happened she couldn't do a thing. She just watched helplessly from the sidelines. It's not too hard to assume that Maddie has little to no trust in Vlad. So when she noticed Vlad leading Danny somewhere after dinner, she did what anyone in her position would do. She followed them.

 _The library? What could Vlad possibly want Danny for in there?_ Unfortunately for her, the library has a very open layout, so hiding places are too hard to come by. This little tidbit of information was enough to keep Maddie anchored in the hallway. She waited patiently for their return. All the while forming a cover story for lingering outside the library door. But then minutes went by without their reappearance. Then an hour. Maddie shifted from foot to foot. _What's taking them so long?_ Another half an hour passed with her remaining impatiently rooted in her spot.

"That's it! I'm going to see what they're doing." Her eyes narrowed in determination and she flung open the door with finesse. She strode into the room confidently, turning left and then right in search of her son. _Empty. How can it be empty?! No one left!_ "Vlad? Darling?" She called in the most loving tone she could muster for the man that ripped her family to pieces. No one answered. Now as she began to question her sanity, she rose her voice. "Vlad! Are you in here?!" Still nothing. "Danny? DANNY WHERE ARE YOU?!" At this point, she started freaking out. _I've finally lost it. And all it took was thirteen years of living with that murderer._

Maddie left the room in confusion and made her way to her and Vlad's suite. **(A/N: Was it just me, or did growing up watching "Suite Life of Zack and Cody" totally confuse you guys about the word 'suite'? Seriously, I thought it was the "Sweet life". Like 'dude that ride is sweet.' So that basically lead to years of confusion over how to spell 'sweet'. And it wasn't until middle school that I realized that 'suite' referred to their hotel rooms.)** She was just passing the main guest room that neighbored her own, when Vlad stepped out. She gasped in surprise. Vlad just looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

"I thought you were already in bed." _And I thought you were in the library_ , Maddie wanted to say. She held back mainly because she wasn't even sure she really saw him go in there. Her mental state was not something she really had faith in at the moment. Also, if he had been in there that would be admitting that she followed him. So she decided to take a different approach.

"What were you doing in the guest room?" Maddie didn't like the strange look that passed over Vlad's face. He covered it up with one of his sickly sweet smiles.

"Alright, Love, you caught me. I moved Danny into that room so that we could be closer to him." Maddie just gawked. _No way. Why would he do that? What's he playing at?_ "I can't believe you ruined the surprise!" Vlad let out a big fake sigh. Then he pulled Maddie into an embrace. In a soft voice he murmured in her ear, "You've just been so sad lately. I thought this would make you happier. I know how much you miss being close to your son." Happy wasn't really the emotion playing across Maddie's thoughts. Actually, her mind was millions of miles away. It wouldn't stop lingering on one little thought. One single idea that was kept her floating above her sea of insanity. _So Vlad was with Danny. I didn't just imagine it. It really happened._ The how and why weren't available to her at the moment. But now her resolve was steeled. _I'll find out what he did. That is a promise._

Later that night, Maddie found herself unable to sleep. She listened to the hated breath of the horrid man who laid to her left. The rise and fall of his utterly defenseless chest. She could take a knife and end it. Kill him like he killed Jack. It would be so simple. So quick. She could go over and get Danny, and they could leave. They could find Jazz, and be a family again. The only problem was that she wasn't Vlad. She couldn't just kill someone and go on living herself. So she stayed. Or at least she usually stayed in bed after having these thoughts. Tonight would be the exception. She carefully slipped out from under the covers and tiptoed out the door.

She found herself staring intently at the doorknob to the guest room. It wouldn't be the first time she had checked on Danny while he slept. But this one felt different. Behind the thin rectangle of wood before her was uncertainty. _Vlad would never just move Danny here without an ulterior motive. Definitely never out of the kindness of his heart. If he even has a heart…_ There it was again. Her maternal instincts blaring that something was off. Something was wrong. Maddie's fear of Vlad crumbled as she thought of her baby in there. _He could be hurt. Vlad could've hurt him._ She couldn't take it anymore and reached for the knob. It turned with ease and the door pushed open. Without a moment's hesitation, Maddie headed over to the bed.

Her scientific mind was trained to notice even the smallest details. So upon reaching the bed, several observations struck her. _There's definitely someone in the bed._ The human shaped lump in the blanket confirmed it. _They're not conscious._ This was understandable since it was a little past midnight. _They're not breathing._ No rise and fall came from that lump like it had from Vlad's chest. No inhale or exhale of air could be heard. _No. No. No. No. No. Danny can't be dead. No. Even Vlad wouldn't… But he has before… No. I won't believe it. Danny isn't dead._ Her hand reached shakily for the sheets. As she pulled them back she could feel the cold of the person's skin. The cold wasn't just the expected chill of a dead body. It was more like ice. Maddie ripped the blanket off like a bandage and just stared. _No…_ She backed away, her hand rose up to her mouth. Her head shook back and forth slowly.

"No." She left the room and ran. Her legs pumped her forward. Tears streamed subconsciously down her cheeks. It wasn't long before she tripped. She landed on her hands and knees, and pressed her head to the floor. "NO," she wailed. She didn't care if her cries woke up half the house. She didn't care if Vlad found her like this. "Too far. He went too far this time!" She choked on another wave of anguish. "How could he!? Why? WHY?! WHY DANNY?!" She could never forget that night when she first saw Vlad's ghost half. When he had done those terrible, terrible things. _He made Danny into one of his own. He killed my baby._ She fell to her side and let the sadness wrack her body. Eventually she ran out of tears.

Hours later one of the servants found her. They took her back to bed. She lay in the luxurious comfort of her cushions, but only felt numbness. Vlad slumbered on. Sunlight slipped through the curtains and spread across the room. Maddie didn't make a move to get up. She stayed there. Even when Vlad went to the dining hall for breakfast, she remained cocooned in her blankets. Her body was dormant. Her mind, on the other hand, wouldn't stop working. It was planning. She had been pushed beyond her limit. _I won't let Vlad get away with this. Not this time. And not ever again._

 **I'd like to formally apologize for the Twilight reference. I'm telling you, I really should have just gone to sleep. This chapter is like one of those dreams where stuff happens and you only realize after the fact that none of it made sense. And that your deepest desires were somewhere in that nonsense (mine was GO TO BED). Anyways, in case you read that witch-eating-your-hand thing and thought that was weirdly specific, I have a story for you. When I was like three or four, my big sister told me that if I slept with my hands under the blanket, then a witch would cut them off and eat them. Being the logical toddler that I was, I decided the safest route would be to sleep with my hands under my head. That way the witch wouldn't be able to find them if she was bold enough to look outside of the blanket. What can I say? I was a very cautious person. And I continued sleeping like this for nearly six years. In fact, I distinctly remember one nap time in preschool where I just watched some other kid sleep. The guy had his hands under the blanket and everything. I thought to myself, "Poor sap." Then I turned my back on him and placed my hands safely tucked under my head. In preschool terms, that's like the equivalent of seeing a person about to get stabbed and just walking away. Brutal.**


	16. Chapter 16

**My guilt for not writing and my lack of a reason not to has me cornered. Why can't there be school to stress about tomorrow!? Why did I have to turn on the Hallmark Channel AGAIN? For god's sake this movie is called "The Thanksgiving House". Why can't I just turn it off? I'M TRAPPED IN THIS RIDICULOUS PLOT! SOS. Not the Jonas Brother SOS, but a legit someone come to my house, take my remote, and turn this off! Sorry to be 'that guy', but the first Thanksgiving took place OUTSIDE. No way in heck could they fit all of the greedy Puritans and the soon-to-be wronged Wampanoags in one stupid house. This movie is flawed. Ughhhh… (this is me avoiding actually writing this chapter). In reality I started this chapter a month ago. I still have what I wrote memorized. Not hard (all I have so far is "Faster.") Fine. I'll write some more. Annnnndddddd… writer's block. Brilliant. Totally unrelated: Have any of you guys ever searched how many hallmark movies are made per year? It's ridiculous. They spout out ten plus Christmas movies alone annually. I hope no one reads this monstrosity of a chapter (not that I've made any progress yet). Or this header for that matter. This is honestly as bad as "The Thanksgiving House". I think half my problem is I cannot remember a single moment of my own plot. Maybe this'll turn into a carbon copy of this movie via my subconscious. I hope not for your sake, Reader. Yikes 257 words of avoidance and still growing. Wait. Do they mean the house is on top of where Thanksgiving took place? That I could believe. Although I think I'm beyond caring at this point. Who wants to hear my top least-favorite/I-still-don't-regret-watching animated movies?**

 **-Leafie: A Hen into the Wild (this one has a weirdly hot duck in it—don't question it)**

 **-Doogle (includes two jack-in-the-box wizards that I full-heartedly ship)**

 **-Food Fight! (JonTron on youtube made a video on this one that is hilarious)**

 **I know if I put down a disclaimer than I'm going to have to focus. Darn. Disclaimer: Don't own anything except a rapidly dropping Chem grade. Enjoy.**

 **PS Just looked back at my previous chapter because I didn't remember what chapter I'm supposed to be on. Turns out it's 16. Guess I'll have to change my title: Chapter _?: The Empire Fights Back**

 **Chapter 16: Training and Comfort**

"Faster." Danny's face scrunches in pain. His neon green eyes tear up against the force. But he pushes himself farther. His entire body strains. His core works to full capacity. But he can't stop. He's flying at speeds that make the sky like a brick wall. Air resistance slams into him. To go any faster would be impossible, and yet… "I said FASTER!" Danny lets out a scream as he propels his body past its breaking point. Now the world is a colorless, airless blur. Vlad's commands are the only thing tying him to the reality below. "Stop." His muscles practically sigh in relief. He swoops around and brings his exhausted body to a more reasonable pace. An hour passes before he can crash safely onto Vlad's lawn. The familiar twin rings of light travel over his trembling body. He pants desperately and drowns down the bottle of water Rush throws at him. Vlad watches the display in silence.

"Very good, Daniel. You've impressed me today. I'll give you an hour to collect yourself. Meet me in the training room once you're ready." And with that Vlad turns on his heel and retreats into the superfluity of his mansion. Danny is too tired to so much as glare at him. Minutes slip away while he just lays there. He watches the puffy white clouds lazily spin and twirl around the sky. They transition from shape to shape without a care in the world. For some reason, he can't help but resent them for that right about now.

It's only once oxygen begins to enter and exit his respiratory system with ease does he regain the ability to move. He winces as the soreness of previous training sessions intermingles with today's misery. _This is why I always used to avoid exercise like the plague._ His wobbly legs make his return to bed far more strenuous than it ought to be. But the luxury of his cushions make it well worth the effort. They swallow him and erase all of the stress his body has been building up. Pretty soon the room fades away and he finds himself in a dreamless sleep.

 **TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNSSSSSSSSSIIIIIITTTTTTTTIIIIIIIIIIOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNN**

"Daniel. Remember what I taught you." _Obey, fight, win. Obey, fight, win. Obey, fight, win._ "Don't disappoint me." The training room is pitch black. His ears prick as he listens for something. Anything at all. A splash. His nose flares as he sucks in air and analyzes the room for that distinctive scent. Ectoplasm. Tension spreads across his form. It takes all his will to follow the mantra. _Obey, fight, win._ "Disable." His eyes flare their radioactive green and he springs forward. The poor ghost never saw it coming. The fight ends before it even really began. The lights flick on and Danny gazes across the carnage.

The ghost must have originally been a very fearsome creature. It stretches to seven or eight feet tall and has a thick black coat of fur. Its mouth drips with deadly fangs. But they pale in comparison to its well-equipped claws. Now it lies unconscious on the floor. Several patches of its once intimidating figure smoke from blistering burns. Ectoplasm oozes from its fortress-like mouth. Vlad smiles pleasantly for once in his life. He claps for his protégé. But Danny doesn't seem to hear. Instead he just stares, horrified at the spirit before him. Or rather, what he did to said specter.

He stays there for hours. Long after Vlad dismissed him. Long after his body's protests of sleep ran dry. Long after the ghost stopped bleeding. He forces himself to go ghost once again and spends that entire time using his ice powers to calm the phantom's angry wounds. Around midnight he blacks out.

"Amiko?" A deep voice rouses Danny from his rest. His eyes crack open. Through fuzzy vision he looks up at the face of a very worried wolf. He snaps his mind into focus.

"Wha-what?" He backs up in fright. The apparition leans in closer. Danny can feel its hot breath on his face.

"Amiko? Ĉu vi estas bone?" The wolf ghost's voice doesn't seem to hold any anger. But that doesn't do much to pacify Danny's rampant shame and regret.

"I'm sorry. I promise I didn't want to hurt you. But I had to. If I didn't… Vlad wouldn't like it if I didn't." All of his pent up guilt and fear take shape on his face as tears. The wolf watches intently. _I can't believe I'm crying right now. Vlad doesn't allow tears. I have to stop. I have to obey…_ But at that moment he finds himself in a warm embrace. The wolf's furry arms wrap around him and hold him tight.

"Ne maltrankviliĝu, amiko." Language barriers aside, Danny knows what this is. It's comfort. _I didn't realize I still needed that. After months of training nearly to death… complete death. I thought I had stopped feeling. I thought I could just obey, fight, win. That's what I have to do if I'm ever going to escape. But right now I'm crying. Right now someone is holding me even though I don't deserve it._ Without words the ghost seems to get this. He releases Danny and looks him straight in the eye. "Vi estas bona. Vi ne estas Vlad." **(A/N: For anyone who read my foreword for this chapter, I have an update: I'm now three Hallmark movies deep and in desperate need of assistance. Please help).** Danny blinks. _I need to save him, because I think he just saved me._

 **DON'TWATCHHALLMARKCHANNELMOVIESORYOU'LLBEASTRAPPEDASIAMPLEASEHELPSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOS**

A perk of honing your ghost powers for six straight months is that you tend to get really good at sneaking around. So good in fact, that Vlad wouldn't be aware of Wulf's (as that turned out to be the ghost's name) disappearance until training the following day. Danny waves happily at his new friend's receding back as he floats through the portal in Vlad's lab. _I could follow him. We could escape this prison together._ His foot moves to step forward. _Who am I kidding? Vlad would never just let me escape. I can never simply break away. I'm not strong enough. Or brave enough for that matter. At this rate I'll end up staying here forever. I'll take over DALV just like Vlad wants._

But Wulf's words won't stop ringing in his head. _"Vi estas bona. Vi ne estas Vlad." You are good. You are not Vlad. And maybe Wulf's right. Vlad wouldn't care that he had hurt another sentient being. He especially wouldn't have tried to heal someone if it wasn't in his own interest. He traps, never frees. So maybe there's hope for me yet. Maybe._

 **Yes, yes I know it's short. And I know it's mostly just me complaining about Hallmark Channel. But heyyyyyyy Danny made a real friend, so isn't that worth something? Btw the Esperanto is straight from Google Translate. Although, as the nerd I am, I have been trying to learn some. Kiom vi fartas? Saluton. Mia nomo estas… Clearly my account name is living up to my life. Wayyy too much free time. Side note: Have I really been watching these Hallmark movies since six? Not good. Not good at all. This channel is a menace. It's like the Lotus Hotel from** **The Lightening Thief** **. The only difference being you are aware of every excruciating second. It's worse than House Hunters.**


	17. Chapter 17

**So it has been a heck of a long time. But I do have an excuse! Over the course of me writing this story, I have attained the motivation and inspiration to write each chapter from the books I read. But with school picking out books for me, the only recent source of literature I've had has been** ** _Beloved._** **And while** ** _Beloved_** **is appropriate in how it centers around a ghost, it isn't the best stepping stone for writing anything. There were entire chapters without punctuation, and others that were just slam poetry. Is that the kind of thing you want me to write? I thought not. But wait, this isn't a good enough excuse? When I did try to write this chapter it needed some serious editing. Example: "They resemble rain frozen in time glistening with the full radiance of the sun." I wrote this. I thought it was good. If I hadn't taken the time to fix this chapter, you would be reading that kind of terribleness.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom, but guess what I do own! A tiny mace! You know like the medieval weapon? Except it's pen sized! (Right after I wrote this I realized it was getting really dark in my room, so I went over to turn on my light, and I stepped on that stupid mace)**

 **Chapter 17: The Others**

 **Kind of Danny's POV, although I'm pretty sure I don't know how to use POV properly:**

The lab is as cold and calculating as the man who built it. The technology Danny once thought as sleek and impressive now intimidates and scares him. Vlad likes testing his new inventions on Danny. Sometimes they make him temporarily stronger. Sometimes they leave him bedridden for a day or two. Usually they hurt. But after so many months of enduring this torture, pain has become relative. Today for instance, Danny stares blankly at his arm. It almost resembles a pin cushion with all the needles stuck in it. While he's not really sure what this invention is supposed to accomplish, he is fully aware that something is being pumped through the needles.

Vlad is across the room tapping computer keys and jotting down the occasional note on his lab rat's condition. Neither the experimenter nor the experimented speaks. The silence is heavy enough to allow Danny to slip entirely into his head unnoticed, something he has begun to do more and more often around Vlad. Escaping reality through his twisted mind is always a relief. In there he can be with the girl from Paulina's party again. They can dance. They can stargaze. He can finally learn her name. Or he can go to his brain's war room. There he, Marigold, and General Fern (among others) can discuss the Plan.

Every day the Plan seems to become fool proof. But then major holes grow apparent and they fall back to square one.

"The idiot keeps making you stronger and faster. Soon you'll be at his level and then you can take him! An escape won't be necessary if you just defeat him. You could just walk out the front door." Marigold always is so confident with her claims. She's an optimist. Danny on the other hand…

"Even if that happened, you know it wouldn't just be him I'd have to fight. Have you even considered the _others_?" That question never fails to poke holes in the Plan. Sure he might be able to beat Vlad, but a battle like that is guaranteed to leave him defenseless against the _others_. They may be weak individually, sure. But if they attacked him all at once he would be a goner. No doubt about it.

"Yes, but what about us? You have so many allies in here, Danny!"

"Ha like you guys are ever any help when it comes to…"

"Don't you dare say it!"

"Reality! You guys aren't real! You can't help me! No one can help me."

"I can't believe you! Sometimes you're a real—"

"Stop it you two! I hear something," General Fern interrupts. Danny and Marigold silence instantly. Their ears perk. Marigold hears it first.

"Oh no," she whispers. Then the noise hits Danny. The war room begins to swirl and blur. The colors rearrange into new shapes before finally coming back into focus. Danny frowns upon finding himself once again lying on a freezing lab table with needles still jutting out of his arm. He tilts his head over to the source of the disturbance in annoyance. But what's there makes him shudder. Vlad is having an argument with one of the _others_ , Skulker.

With a metal exoskeleton the size of a giant, and an armada worth of weaponry stored just below the surface, Skulker is a legitimate threat. Not only that, but whenever he's around, he eyes Danny like a starving lion spotting its next meal. It never ceases to make Danny uncomfortable. Unfortunately, he's a regular down here. Vlad often hires him to hunt down ghosts that he wants either captured or destroyed, and occasionally to steal the odd ingredient for upcoming experiments. His arrival tends to foreshadow more painful experimentation for Danny. So to see him now, well, it does nothing good for the young half ghost.

His fear betrays him on Vlad's heart monitor. The once steady beat hitches and quickens pace. Vlad rushes over in what an ignorant person could call concern. He removes the needles, much to Danny's relief, and begins to check his vitals. Skulker peers down at the afflicted halfa with the interest of a vulture circling a dying prey. After a minute Vlad clucks his tongue and pushes away from Danny.

"There's nothing wrong with you," he growls accusingly. Skulker sighs unhappily. Danny squirms under their disappointment and disdain. _Well sor-ry I'm not dying._ "If you feel fine enough to ruin my experiment then why don't you run fifty laps along the wall?"

 _"Why don't you die a mysterious death?" Danny smirks. Vlad guffaws at Danny's unexpected outburst._

 _"How dare you speak to me this way?!" Danny laughs and rolls his eyes._

 _"I'm done listening to you. I'm done just letting myself be tortured. I'm done with this imprisonment." He reaches deep inside of himself and searches for that cold feeling. Once he finds it, he lets it grow and envelop him. He closes his icy blue eyes as the familiar rings slip across his body. When they open again they glow a radioactive green. He smiles revealing a display of sparkling fangs. "Goodbye Father." Vlad's eyes widen and he backs up several feet._

 _"D-Daniel please get a hold of yourself," Vlad stutters. Danny lets loose a low animalistic growl._

 _"My. Name. Is. Danny." He punctuates each word with a menacing step forward. His hands begin to glow. The energy swells until it's almost blinding. Vlad raises his hands in defense, but they are useless against the sheer power. "Goodbye."_

"Pick up the pace, child!" Danny huffs with exertion, but he flings up his middle finger anyway. Vlad's three ancient ghostly vultures crow in protest before flapping angrily away. Of all the others, these guys would be the easiest to fight. Unlike Skulker with his vast array of weaponry, all these three have are their claws. The razor sharpness is hardly even a threat due to the slow flight of their malting wings. _Where did Vlad even find these guys?_

While Danny isn't sure what time it is when he completes his light jog, he knows for a fact that sunset was a couple dozen laps back. He leans heavily on the wall and sinks slowly down to the ground. _Some day, huh?_ Too exhausted to so much as sit, he lies back on the ground and closes his eyes. The grass tickles his cheeks. Each blade is heavy with dew. He glares at his eyelids, waiting impatiently for sleep to consume him. Maybe it has something to do with the hours of exercise he just endured, but no amount of physical fatigue could relax his active mind. After several minutes, he finally gives in to his undeniable insomnia. Sighing heavily, he opens his eyes.

Since Vlad decided to make him his heir, Danny has been barred from a number of his old activities. Other ones just slipped out of practice under his tight schedule. Stargazing is one such lost enterprise. By the time the sun falls he is normally passed out in his bed. That's one of the fallbacks of being worked to the bone from the moment the sun comes up. So as a result he tends to be unconscious when night is at its full glory. But right now, in the depths of the Manor's wooded estate, the city's light pollution is hardly a factor. And the stars shine with fervor against the ink sky. To Danny they are everything. They are the bridge that link him to his most precious memories. Looking at them brings him back to that night in the library. Sitting with that amazing girl, for once free of Vlad's tight grasp. _Why didn't I ask for her name? I'm so stupid sometimes._ He looks for a constellation—one in particular. _Pegasus._

 **What? You don't remember the significance of that constellation. Um chapter 11 ring any bells? What do you mean I wrote that months ago? Psh. Keep up with me fools. (I didn't remember either, I had a vague idea that there was a stargazing scene with Sam, and had to look back.) This is a transition by the way.**

At some point sleep did steal away his starry night. Maybe the adrenaline from the run had at last worn off. Whatever the reason, he slept. For hours and hours. Long after the sun stormed the horizon and reclaimed the sky. He slept for every hour Vlad denied him rest. Laying in a bed of grass and moss with only the radiation of a gaseous sphere 92.96 million miles away to warm him. He slumbered uninterrupted until long into the afternoon. How did he manage this? As it turns out, finding one unmoving person in such a large residence can be quite the challenge. For Vlad, this simple, insignificant detail results in a terrible jump to conclusions.

 **Vlad's POV (kinda sorta)**

The vultures squirm and shift helplessly under their master's scrutiny. Their nerves cause feathers to litter the floor. Unfortunately when an angrily pacing Vlad slips on one, it bursts the precious bubble that has so far protected them from his wrath. He turns to face them with far more dignity than that slip should have allowed him. This could be due to the blaring red his eyes have taken on.

"How is it that you three can't complete such a simple task?" His words are spat at them venomously. They all take an involuntary step back. But that leaves them pressed against the wall. Cornered. "I asked you to do one thing. One thing! Make sure the boy completes his run and returns to the house. And what did you three do?" Vlad looks at them expectantly. They swallow in fear knowing that whatever they say next will determine their fates. The eldest of the three steps forward hesitantly before speaking, making sure to keep his eyes locked on the ground the entire time.

"Well, sir, we were watching the boy. Exactly as you told us to! But, sir, he disrespected us. And we refused to just stay there and take that, that guff! So we… we left." He finishes shakily before daring to meet Vlad's gaze. The man is nearly shaking with fury.

"YOU LEFT!" Vlad screeches with the most unearthly howl any of them had ever heard. They beat their wings hard, squawking and malting as they attempt to evade their master's incoming attack. By the time they manage to fade through the ceiling, the wall where they had been trapped just moments before is riddled with smoking holes.

Still huffing, Vlad reaches up and activates the communication device on his ear.

"Skulker, gather my minions. The little brat has escaped."

 **I wrote most of this in mid-December, and I had these big plans to finish it before Christmas. Yeah so that didn't happen. So probably a month later (today), I look at what I've written so far. And just after where it says "Vlad's POV (kinda sorta)", all I see is this:**

 **"Note to me for when I write this: vlad cant find danny, thinks he has run away, panics, gets angry, calls in all his minions to search for him. Yes I know, terrible plot idea, but hey, look at that magnificent paragraph I just wrote. Utterly fantastic"**

 **Welcome to my writing process.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Now that we're pretty comfortable with my lack of motivation to finish this story, I hope you don't mind how seldom I update. In the long run it's definitely better than the alternative (not updating at all). I'd rather finish a crappy story than write a good one with an unfinished one hanging over me. So you guys are just going to have to bear with me a little longer. Or quit, cause I'll be honest when stories are slow on updates and getting worse with every new chapter, I drop them. So while my precious ego is at stake here, I totally get it if you don't remember anything that happened in the previous 17 chapters (I know I don't!), and have long since stopped caring about** ** _what happens next._** **Whatever the case may be, I still do plan to finish this train wreck. Maybe I'll even throw in an actual train wreck. I could make this an exposé on what not to do in fanfiction. I'll ship Tucker and Sam (never, I would never ever ever do that… just no) and have Vlad kill Danny. Then it will end on the happy note of Jazz watching rain drops race down her window. The grey, dismal sky reflecting her grey, dismal life. The End. Now isn't that a lovely end to this magnificent tale?**

 **Disclaimer: Did you know disclaimer means a statement meant to avoid misunderstanding?**

 **Chapter 18: Waking Up Sucks**

Waking up naturally is the most underappreciated aspect of life. Even if the sleep you had was somewhere uncomfortable, say a forest floor, it is always significantly better than being woken up. For one, your dreams won't be cut short, a plus for someone who has war meetings in their head. But even more importantly, your mind will be much sharper and more awake. Having been unable to sleep in since the age of ten, Danny immediately notices these differences upon returning to consciousness.

His eyes snap open and he sits up abruptly. _What the hell am I doing in a forest?_ He grabs a nearby branch to pull himself to his feet. _Am I in the yard?_ Scrunching his eyes shut, he tries to recall how he got here. _I was running… I guess I must have been too tired to get back inside. That explains why I'm in the woods, but how come Vlad or someone hasn't found me yet?_ Opening his eyes, he tries to gauge the time. But to his horror, he realizes the sun is dipping dangerously close to the horizon, painting the sky orange on its way out. _It's sunset. How can it be sunset?!_ Panicked, he quickly transforms and launches himself above the trees.

Hovering, he begins searching the sky for any sign of an angry Vlad.

"Vlad's going to kill me…" He murmurs.

"You got that right, Dipstick," an unfamiliar voice growls. He turns only to be struck in the chest by a wave of energy. He slams back onto the forest floor. _Well that hurt._ Groaning, he tries to pull himself back to his feet.

"And Vlad said you were supposed to be powerful. Ha!" She laughs before strumming out another painful note on her guitar. _Wait… guitar?_ Danny is thrown back into a tree. His head makes contact with a resounding crack. Pressing his hand to his now seriously aching head he tries to push back his dizziness so he can get a good look at his assailant. Between her blazing azure hair, luminous green eyes, and the fact that she is floating, it's obvious she's a ghost. Her body is clad in skin-tight black clothing, menacing steel boots, and decorated in piercings and curly tattoos. In her arms she carries a flame-embellished purple guitar, which she handles like a weapon. He raises an eyebrow.

"Who are you supposed to be? Gene Simmons?" He grins as her confident smirk drops into a scowl.

"The name's Ember, baby-pop. Ember McLain."

"Well it was nice meeting you, Ember McLame, but you see, I have got to be going. See ya!" Springing back into the air, he streaks in the direction of the Manor. After a minute or so, he glances behind him to see if she's still there. "Oh good, I lost her." His relief is short-lived as not a second later he rams face-first into what feels like a brick wall. _Okay, ow. What was that?_ Glancing up, his eyes widen. _Crap._

"H-hey Skulker, long time no see." Danny shudders at the evil smirk engulfing the larger ghost's face.

"A long time indeed, Welp." And with that friendly comment, Skulker's wide variety of blasters spring to life. Danny yelps in surprise and tries to dodge the incoming blasts. _I may hate Vlad for everything he's done to me, but right now thank god for all that training he put me through._ He gracefully weaves through the projectiles, and even manages to land a punch before one particularly evasive one makes contact with his chest. He grunts in pain when he hits the ground, his eyes threaten to roll back into his head as the world begins to spin.

"Baby-pop, I don't think Plasmius will like you making a pelt out of his protégé." Danny looks up through foggy vision to see the fuzzy shapes of Skulker and Ember hovering over him.

"Gross… get a room you two…" Danny slurs. Despite his blurry vision, he can practically feel Skulker's smug face morph with anger.

"Ember," Skulker growls, "go get Plasmius. I've been waiting a long time for this." Danny coughs up a laugh.

"Bring it… old man."

Skulker roars and rushes down fist first at Danny. _Amateur._ The impact of his punch splinters the tree Danny had been leaning on, but surprisingly not Danny. Confused, Skulker tries to pull back his fist, only to become well acquainted with two silver boots. Now it's Skulker with the fuzzy eyesight using a tree for support. Danny can't help but gaze down at the robot's plight with amusement.

"Oh how the tables have turned, huh, Skulker?" Unfortunately, what could have been wonderful banter is cut short by a familiar caped villain. Danny quickly finds himself in some sort of box-like contraption. He gives Plasmius a lazy smile. "Hey Dad, what's up?"

"That's funny, Daniel, I came here to ask you the same thing. Only I was going to phrase it with something along the lines of 'WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN'?" The veins in Vlad's neck press against his strained skin. His face is bright red with rage. _Well isn't someone a bit moody today._

"Sorry, I guess I just overslept." Danny runs a hand nervously through his raven hair. _Well here goes all the progress I'd made in gaining his trust. So much for the plan._ If anything, this answer seems to provoke Vlad even more. _Although, I think I see relief in his eyes. Maybe he really does care? Cause, you know, if you really care about someone, you should send your private ghost militia out to kill them. Er… fully kill them._ For a minute or so, it seems like Vlad is trying to gather a response for that. Danny is 99% sure that this will lead to some more alone time in the dungeon. Thank his lucky stars Vlad bothers to notice the unconscious ghost just a few yards away.

"You overpowered Skulker?" _You don't have to sound so surprised! I'm a pretty powerful ghost, Daddy Dearest._ Instead of voicing these thoughts, he opts to just shrug it off as if it were nothing. Vlad stares at him for a few moments more. _Does this mean no dungeon? Because if my plan is ruined I'd like the chance to talk to the General and Marigold in private._ "Little Badger." Danny looks up hopefully. _If he's using pet names maybe not all is lost just yet!_ "I believe you're ready." This response shocks Danny to say the least.

"Ready for what?"

"For what you've been training for."

 **I so did not expect to finish this anytime soon. This chapter was only a thousand words, but it was so painstaking to write. I applaud anyone who is able to make a chapter like seventeen thousand words. You people have the patience and persistence of pre-K teachers. Well done.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Don't you just hate it when you find a longish fanfiction with a fairly interesting plot and you start reading it but accidentally get hooked, and in like no time at all you're all caught up. So you, the eternally patient reader, loyally begin your wait for the next chapter. But then a day passes and nothing, and you have to remind yourself that the author, in all likelihood, has a life and doesn't just spend all their time writing. But then a week passes and still nothing, and you decide to occupy yourself with other fanfictions so you don't die of boredom. But then a month passes and it occurs to you that something might have happened to the author. They could have gotten sick, or been eaten by wild dogs, or, even worse, moved on to another fandom. And then out of the blue, six months later, you get a notification that they finally posted another chapter. And in that moment it fully hits you that the author you had so patiently waited for hadn't been ill, eaten by dogs, or moved on to another fandom. They were just lazy.**

 **Me too.**

 **Chapter 19: The Path You Can Live With**

 _It's funny, I don't remember ever being trained to swan dive to my death._ The wind rips at his hair and clothes. He struggles to keep his watering eyes open against the growing G-force. Closing them is certainly not an option right now. Not when timing is the difference between becoming shocked by a ghost shield, well acquainted with the ground, or remaining only half dead. And Danny doesn't mean to be closeminded, but option number three is looking to be the most desirable at this particular moment. He tries peering through his teared up eyes, and is able to make out the neon green dome of the ghost shield approximately a quarter of a mile down. He angles his body for maximum resistance in a last ditch attempt to slow down, and begins to count down from ten.

Ten…

Nine…

Eight…

Seven…

Six… _God this is going to be close._

Five…

Four…

Three… _There was definitely a better way to do this._

Two…

One… _Crap._

He drops through the ghost shield as if it weren't even there, and allows himself another half second before daring to transform. The rings seem to pass over him at a snail's pace, and gravity continues to pull him closer and closer to a new life as a pancake. _Come on come on come on come on come on… YES!_ He swoops up just a mere three feet from the ground, and yells out in triumph.

"Daniel! Stop this idiotic display before someone hears you." Vlad's encouraging words crackle through his ear piece.

Danny lands lightly on his feet and once again releases his transformation. _Okay now for the fun part…_ He sticks mostly to the shadows, a task made easy in the dark of night, as he begins his search for an entrance. Axiom Labs is beyond secure. The place has an incredible number of locks, alarms, and traps, both for the living and the not-so-much. Security is so tight that not even Vlad, with all his power and experience, can break in on his own. That's where Danny comes in. If he can get in and shut down the security system, than Vlad can make his move with ease. Unfortunately, the energy his powers release would automatically trigger the system, so he is going to have to do this **à** la human form. The sound of creaking metal snaps Danny out of his thoughts. He crouches down behind a truck and searches for its source. He squints as light begins to pour out of the side of the building. A girl, approximately his age, steps out. Her curly, dark brown locks bounce around her shoulders, and Danny can make out a small smile on her face.

"Bye Daddy, I'll see you in the morning!" She calls over her shoulder. A sort of muffled reply rings out from somewhere deep within the building. Danny winces. _Crap, so there is someone inside._ He crawls around the truck and uses the darkness to get closer to the girl. She shoulders a purple backpack and strolls across the compound. The door closes with a resounding bang behind her, with Danny on the inside.

He sighs, "Glad I didn't have to figure out how to unlock that door."

His earpiece crackles to life again. "Daniel, stop dawdling around and find that switch!" _Oh right the switch._ The switch is the largest crack in Axiom's security. With just the simple flick of a finger, every single defense against ghosts could be shut off, allowing people (or half-people) like Vlad to fly in and bypass all the normal security without a hitch. All Danny has to do is find the security office, turn off the switch, and watch Vlad carry off what he needs. Simple. Except with both the regular and ghostly defenses still set, Danny is basically screwed.

Like a tightrope walker he has to tread carefully. Any step could potentially spell disaster. He could trip a wire, get caught in a net, get zapped by a beam, get blasted to pieces… _Focus Danny, focus!_ He shakes his head to clear his rapidly digressing thoughts and pushes onwards.

The hallway the door had opened to is made completely of metal. The walls gleam with random lights and buttons that he can only assume have some kind of high-tech use that would go way over his head. Every twenty feet or so there is a numbered metal door that resembles Vlad's closed portal. A panel just to the right of each door could cause him some problems. Without a handprint registered in the system, the doors would remain closed. He groans at this and continues down the hall. _Maybe I'll get lucky again and whoever is in here will just happen to open the door I need. Did Vlad even think through this plan at all?_

Three hallways and five narrowly avoided booby traps later, Danny finds himself standing in front of a door labelled "SECURITY". He reaches to his ear and whispers "target acquired, awaiting further instructions". Vlad's voice crackles angrily through the ear piece, "Daniel, I had you educated by the very best tutors that money can buy, and you expect me to believe you need a step-by-step in opening a door?" _A door? More like a safe._ Danny grumbles out something incomprehensible under his breath and begins to pace.

"Marigold, any ideas?"

Marigold runs a leafy hand through her petals and scrunches up the tuff of tiny petals that make up her face. "You could risk going ghost and just go through the door."

"Are you insane?!" Danny whips around to see General Fern glaring over at Marigold. "That'll trigger an alarm for sure. He'll be shot at and captured and he'll pass out and reveal his half-living status and be dragged over to some Sci-Fi-type laboratory twenty floors below us to be experimented on and the day to day torture would eventually lead to the end of what little sanity he has left and where would that leave you and I, Marigold? Bloop. Out of existence!" Fern's speech had grown in volume and enthusiasm to such a degree, that by the time it wrapped up, he was panting, out of breath, lying on the floor.

"Ookay, not helping, dude." Danny squeezes his eyes shut to erase his friends. _Maybe I shouldn't be relying on the figments of my imagination during a high stakes mission. Oh well. Lesson learned. Okay okay okay. I need a plan and I need one now._ He subconsciously resumes pacing. _I hate to say… well, think this, but Vlad is right. I've studied under the best of the best. A door is nothing. I'm sure I can get a_ handle _on this. Get it?! Handle? Like a door handle? Buh dum chhhhh!_ His footsteps momentarily pause. _Oh my god, I'm losing it._

"Sometime today!" Vlad's voice hisses into his ear. Danny winces. _You know what? Maybe thinking is getting me nowhere. It is just a door after all._ And with that, Danny's face scrunches in resolution and he calls out "I'm going ghost!" The familiar white rings pass over him, and he revels in the icy power now coursing through his veins. Before an alarm even has the chance to go off, he turns intangible and swoops through the door.

As expected, the system triggers. Red lights flash, metal panels close up all along the hallway he just vacated, an unrelenting alarm blares, and guns spring out of every nook and cranny of the security office. And in the center of it all, stands a rather large, black man in a freshly-stained security uniform. His chocolate brown eyes are painted in surprise, his glasses are askew, and a coffee cup, complete with spilled coffee, lays in pieces on the floor. He gawks in awe at the glowing boy hovering by the still-shut (and what he had presumed to be bolt-locked) door.

Danny, himself, is slightly shocked by the other man's appearance. _I knew there was someone else in the building, but just my luck he had to be in here._ He lets out a bit of a cough to clear his throat before awkwardly attempting to speak. "Erm… Sorry about this," he makes a general gesture at the blaring alarm and the blasters poking out of the walls. "I just was wondering if maybe you could direct me to the security switch…?" The man's mouth falls open at the gall of that request. After a couple moments of silence, Danny shrugs. "I'll take that as a no. Oh well, I guess I can try to find it myself."

As Danny moves to skirt around the officer, something in the man finally clicks. "Oh no you don't, ghost!" He wrenches out a spare gun from his belt and shoves it into Danny's face. Danny's eyes cross. _This… is not good._

"Use your powers you moron!" Vlad's shrill voice brings Danny into action. He flips backwards, simultaneously kicking the weapon out of the man's hand, and lands in a crouch. He shoots the man a grin, and beckons him with his index finger like in a cheesy ninja flick. The man slams his hand on a bright red button on the desk, and all hell breaks loose. Every single one of the cocked guns and blasters on the walls begin to fire. Eyes wide, Danny swerves into the air, and momentarily out of the line of fire. He tries to scan the room to locate all of the guns, but they all too quickly catch up with him. Ectoplasm shoots through his shoulder, and he releases a shriek of pain. Eyes flaming, he begins releasing his own blasts at the weapons, but they far out-number him. A mundane bullet cuts through his legs, while more ectoplasm lasers across his chest. Dropping to the floor, he huddles behind his arms until a particularly painful blast sets him over the edge.

From deep within him comes a scream unlike anything he has ever made before. Its soundwaves shake the room, and tear apart every last gun from the walls. The glass monitors that display the security footage shatter. Chairs slam into the walls. The computer splits open. The sheer force of his scream shakes the entire room. As it draws to an end, dizziness over comes Danny and he has to lean on the desk for support. His vision is dark at the edges, and it is only after several blinks that he notices the man. Apparently he had weathered the scream unscathed from the safety of under the desk. Now he stands with another gun once again pointed at Danny's head. Oddly enough, the gun suddenly floats from the man's hand and hovers between the two of them. Both Danny and the security officer watch, mesmerized, as Vlad materializes before them.

"Well done, little badger. Maybe you're not completely incompetent after all." Vlad smirks, revealing a set of pointed teeth. _I guess I must have destroyed the security system. Cool, mission accomplished._ Vlad swaggers the rest of the way over to Danny and sets the gun in his hands. The cold, sleek metal feels odd to him. He observes it in a disconnected sort of distaste, his ears still ringing from the scream. That is, until Vlad set his lips near Danny's ear and begins to whisper. "How about you finish the job?"

An icy chill slithers down Danny's spine. "You can't mean…?" He trails off. Vlad stares at him. His eyes pierce straight into Danny's soul. _He wants me to kill him._ Just the thought leaves a metallic taste in his mouth. "No…"

"Daniel, tonight you have proven to me that you are indeed worthy of being my heir. My son. But, you see, this man knows your name. He has seen our faces. He could warn others of us, and that, my child, will not do. So this time I do not suggest, but demand that you finish what you have started." Vlad's words are clipped and bathed in reason. He is speaking to Danny as one does to an impertinent child.

"Danny, I think you should do what he says," a soft voice whispers. Danny glances to his right at Marigold. Her eyes are weary, as if resigned already to the task ahead. Behind her grows her sisters. The color of their petals seems oddly muted. Each of their faces are as set as their sibling's. Marigold speaks up once again, "if you do this, than our plan is complete. You'll be completely accepted. He will never see your escape coming." He jiggles the gun in his hand. _She's right. With this, the end is in sight._ Nevertheless, he turns to the left.

"General?"

The old general looks up at him. The tendrils of his leaves are yellow. They curl up on themselves. He is withering away right before Danny's eyes. He looks worse than he ever did on the battlefield. His eyes carry the exhaustion of a man whom has witnessed hundreds of wars, thousands of battles. And when he speaks now, his voice holds just of the shadow of the command it always had. It comes out as tangible and strong as a breeze. "Danny. You and I have known each other for a long time. We've gone on countless adventures. Vanquished innumerable foes. Suffered terrible losses. But we have also had grand parties. Confided each other in times of need. Composed countless letters to the girl beyond Everest. Mocked that overbearing father of yours. But there is a truth about me that you must come to understand. The fern you encountered in your backyard so many years ago is gone. It hasn't been around in a long time."

"What are you trying to say?" Danny's voice comes out in a crack.

"I'm saying that, that fern was real. I am not."

"Don't say that! You're real! It's as you've said, we're best friends. We've been through everything together. You have to be real." His words are desperate and he knows it. Tears stream down his face.

The General's eyes grow damp, even while the rest of him becomes more and more alike dust. "You're real, Danny. Even if I'm not." Fern turns to Marigold. "Even if none of us ever were." He steps towards Danny, his roots drag limply across the floor. Their eyes meet. "You are alive. And the path you must choose now, is the one that you can live with." And with those final parting words, General Fern crumbles.

"General!" Danny screeches and he collapses to the floor, he tries to draw his fingers through the sand in Fern's places, but it blows away, scattering through the air until it was like he was never even there. _And maybe he wasn't._ Blinking back tears, Danny gets back to his feet. Marigold and her sisters are gone as well. When he tries to think, his mind hits silence. _It's only me now. I guess it has been all along._ Both Vlad and the officer are giving him strange looks, but he couldn't care less. He readjusts his grip on the gun and raises it to the man's head. His expression remains completely blank.

"Good." Vlad smirk revives instantly.

Danny releases the safety, and ghosts his finger over the trigger. The man before him begins to sputter and plead. Each word falls on deaf ears. His finger tightens ever so slightly, and he steps forward.

Crack.

Danny glances down in his surprise, and suddenly his body freezes over. He bends down and retrieves the item. A picture frame. The glass on the front is completely broken, but the frame itself is otherwise intact. He gently shifts aside one of the larger broken pieces to better look at her face. The photo has the air of a school picture (not that Danny has ever had one of those). The girl in it has dark skin and kind, chocolate eyes like her father, but with long, beautiful curls cascading around her face. _"Bye Daddy, I'll see you in the morning!"_

"That's my daughter, Valerie." _Valerie._ At this point the gun is still poised to shoot. _"The path you choose now, is the one that you can live with."_

"Go on, Daniel, finish it!" Vlad's voice rings in his ears. It is the voice of an angry man. Of someone who sees little value in human life. Someone who would be fine with a girl getting up in the morning and wondering where her father is. Who wouldn't blink at the prospect of said girl being thrown into a foster home. Fatherless.

The gun clatters onto the floor.

"Take what you need, and let's get out of here." Danny's tone reflects the clipped one Vlad used on him earlier. Vlad's jaw nearly hits the floor. Ignoring that, Danny turns back to the officer. "Go home to your daughter." The man scurries out without a second glance. Once he is out of sight, Danny takes off and heads back to the mansion. Although he doesn't dare look, he knows Vlad isn't far behind.

 **I'm so sorry I haven't updated in so long! I promised I'd finish this, and I'm turning out to be the world's biggest hypocrite. The ending isn't far off now. Thank you for bearing with me as long as you have!**


End file.
